Article 27 — Violation of Privacy
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Any national who commits any of the following acts commits an offence:
- Unlawful interception, monitoring, or recording of private communications without the consent of the parties to those communications.
- Unlawful access to, or disclosure of, personal data or private information, beyond what is sanctioned under the Data Protection Code.
- Surveillance of a person's private activities without lawful authority.
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An offence under this Article is aggravated where:
- It is committed by a public officer.
- It is committed through the abuse of access to State systems.
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An offence under paragraph 1, absent any aggravating circumstance, is classified as a serious offence. Where an aggravating circumstance under paragraph 2 applies, the offence is classified as a grave offence.
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A person convicted of a serious offence under this Article is liable to any combination of the following sanctions, in accordance with Article 10:
- A fine of not less than $5,000 and not exceeding $50,000.
- Public censure.
- Exclusion from State systems.
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A person convicted of a grave offence under this Article is liable to any combination of the following sanctions:
- A fine of not less than $50,000 and not exceeding $500,000.
- Public censure.
- Exclusion from State systems.
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This Article is without prejudice to the administrative sanctions and remedies available under the Data Protection Code, including those set forth in Article 27 of the Data Protection Code.