The Personal and Domestic Use Exemption is a factor used to limit the scope of applicability of Belarus's data protection law. This exemption excludes personal data processing by individuals for non-professional, private purposes from the law's coverage.

Text of Relevant Provision

PDP Law Article 2(2) states:

"2. This Law does not apply to relations relating to cases of processing of personal data:by individuals in the process of exclusively personal, family, home and other similar use, not related to professional or business activities; classified in accordance with the established procedure as state secrets."

Original language: "2. Действие настоящего Закона не распространяется на отношения, касающиеся случаев обработки персональных данных:физическими лицами в процессе исключительно личного, семейного, домашнего и иного подобного их использования, не связанного с профессиональной или предпринимательской деятельностью; отнесенных в установленном порядке к государственным секретам."

Analysis of Provisions

The Personal and Domestic Use Exemption is explicitly defined in Article 2(2) of the PDP Law. This provision excludes from the law's scope the processing of personal data "by individuals in the process of exclusively personal, family, home and other similar use, not related to professional or business activities" (физическими лицами в процессе исключительно личного, семейного, домашнего и иного подобного их использования, не связанного с профессиональной или предпринимательской деятельностью).

The exemption is characterized by several key elements:

1. The data processing must be carried out by individuals, not legal entities or organizations.
2. The processing must be for "exclusively personal, family, home and other similar use".
3. The processing must not be related to professional or business activities.

This exemption is commonly included in data protection laws to balance the right to privacy with the practical realities of everyday life. Lawmakers recognize that applying stringent data protection requirements to individuals' personal activities would be overly burdensome and potentially infringe on personal freedoms.

Implications

The Personal and Domestic Use Exemption has several implications for businesses and data protection professionals:

1. Personal use: Individuals processing personal data for their own private purposes (e.g., maintaining a personal address book or sharing family photos) are not subject to the law's requirements.
2. Business activities: Any data processing related to professional or business activities, even if conducted by an individual, falls within the law's scope. For example:
   • A freelancer maintaining a client database
   • An individual running a home-based business and processing customer data
3. Social media: Personal use of social media platforms generally falls under this exemption. However, if an individual uses social media for business purposes, that activity may be subject to the law.
4. Home security systems: Personal use of home security cameras or smart home devices would likely be exempt, but similar systems used for business premises would be covered by the law.
5. Boundary cases: There may be situations where the line between personal and professional use is blurred, requiring careful consideration. For instance, a personal blog that generates income might transition from exempt to covered under the law.

Data controllers and processors should be aware that while individuals' personal data processing may be exempt, their own processing of that data (e.g., a social media company processing user data) remains subject to the law's requirements.