Satukunnan Markkinapörssi Oy and Satamedia Oy v. Finland
European Court of Human Rights
ECHR No. 931/13 (2017)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Satukunnan Markkinapörssi Oy and Satamedia Oy (plaintiffs) collected Finnish residents’ personal taxation information, including taxable income and net assets, from the Finnish government. This information was publicly available under Finnish law. The plaintiffs published in a newspaper the taxation information of any resident making a certain annual threshold—approximately 10,000 to 13,500 euros per year. Subsequently, the plaintiffs also initiated a service by which a person could text an individual’s name to a phone number, and the phone number would respond with that individual’s taxation information. A Finnish court found that this text-messaging service was beyond what Finland envisioned when it declared the taxation information publicly available. The court found that the service violated residents’ right to private life. The plaintiffs filed an application against Finland (defendant), alleging that the Finnish court violated the freedom of the press guaranteed under Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the convention).
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
