Have you been a victim of identity theft or a personal data breach? The Suomi.fi Web Service will soon provide all the advice you need in one handy package

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency (the Finnish Digital Agency) is developing a new information and service package for the Suomi.fi Web Service. The package will help you find out what to do if you suspect that your personal data has ended up in the wrong hands.

The new information and service package is aimed at people who have been the victim of identity theft or data breaches or who have lost a proof of identity document such as a passport or an ID card. 

The idea behind the project was developed as a result of the widely publicised Vastaamo data breach, which led to the personal data of the company's customers being extensively leaked on the Internet. As part of further measures to address this data breach, the Finnish Government decided to create a channel to make it easier to manage blocks and prohibitions on the use of personal data. The package is being designed in partnership with various organisations in the public and private sectors.

Project progress in 2021

The project's first phase will see useful information and advice on identity theft, data breaches, and related services being compiled on the Suomi.fi Web Service. This resource will then function as a user-friendly citizen support pathway for people living in Finland. This resource will be completed in April 2021, in cooperation with the project's partner network. 

Work will continue throughout spring to add more features to the service, such as the ability to manage some of the non-disclosure requests submitted to the Finnish Digital Agency. These include non-disclosures of information, and non-disclosure of change of address notifications (so-called blocking a change of address) entered into the Population Information System. Strong identification using online banking IDs, a mobile certificate, or an ID card and the Finnish Authenticator app is always needed before you can manage non-disclosures.

“Our aim is to create a one-stop-shop where citizens can get information and guidance on managing different types of non-disclosures. When someone becomes the victim of identity theft or a data breach, they end up having to deal with several different actors in order to protect the use of their personal data. We want to improve the situation for people unfortunate enough to find themselves in these difficult circumstances, and to make managing non-disclosure requests on the use of personal data easier than it currently is”, says Deputy Director General Timo Salovaara from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

“The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will also look at whether it will be possible for citizens to manage non-disclosure requests with other public and private actors via the same Suomi.fi package further down the line. There are, however, for example a few legal issues that we need to resolve first”, Salovaara goes on to explain.

Test the beta and give feedback!

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will launch a beta version of the new information and service package on 1 March 2021. The Agency will use the beta version to gather feedback on the package in its current form. 

“In developing this new resource, we've been assisted by both people who have been victims of data breaches and those who have no prior experience of these issues. We have also benefited from the input and experiences of our extensive network of stakeholders. The hope, now, is that we can gather as much feedback as possible on the beta version of the package. Every bit of feedback we receive helps us to make the whole package as good as it can be before the final launch”, Salovaara enthuses.

You can test the beta version and send your feedback until 14 March 2021 at https://response.questback.com/dvv/mhfewn1wuo

Additional information
Timo Salovaara, Deputy Director General, Digital and Population Data Services Agency, tel. +358 (0)295 535 303, firstname.lastname[at]dvv.fi