Media reports today state that Síminn has sued the Competition Authority in the District Court, demanding that all data obtained during a search at Síminn's premises be deleted, on the grounds that employees of Síminn's competitor were responsible for making copies. On this occasion, the Competition Authority would like to make the following statement:
As has been publicly reported, the Competition Authority carried out a search at Síminn and other companies within the same group on 21 April. The search was extensive, as the authority needed to copy and search for data at several locations within the companies' premises. The Competition Authority therefore needed to enlist several individuals with information technology expertise to assist with the operation and approached Þekking for this purpose. The individuals in question were staff of the Competition Authority in the field, acting in accordance with its instructions and under its responsibility.
The entire operation was conducted under the supervision of the Competition Authority, and the data that was seized and copied is stored securely by the Competition Authority. The individuals in question were in no way involved in the seizure of data or the substantive examination of computer data; their role was solely to provide technical assistance with the copying of data. The case brought by Síminn is therefore without merit.
In light of the foregoing, the complaint by Síminn and its demand for the destruction of the search evidence are surprising, not least in view of the fact that Síminn publicly stated that the company would cooperate with the Competition Authority in obtaining and investigating the data.
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