On Mrkoll and similar sites, you can search for people's addresses, car ownership, cohabiting partners and if they have committed a crime or been involved in a legal dispute.

Earlier, a woman sued Mrkoll because it said she had been charged when searching for her name. Last spring, the Supreme Court decided that the case should be tried in a higher court.

The woman is no longer searchable

The reason was the friction that exists between the data protection law GDPR – which is supposed to protect personal data – and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression – which gives sites like Mrkoll the right to publish public information.

"It is therefore important for the guidance of law that the case be heard by a higher court," the Supreme Court wrote this year.

But there will be no trial – the parties have been reconciled and the woman is no longer searchable on Mrkoll.

In 2023, the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection has received 35 complaints from people who want to, but have not been removed from the site.

KulturNyheter has been in contact with the woman's lawyer, who does not want to comment further on the matter.

Over 30 complaints

Walter Guldbrandzén is a lawyer and believes that Sweden is violating EU law by allowing the sites to be kept. He has tried several times to have the matter tried legally, but has been refused.

– It becomes a bizarre situation where, when I access a website, I need to consent to it saving my cookies, but another website can publish where I live, who I live with, against my consent.

The thought struck him when he worked for the Swedish Prosecution Authority.

"I have a rather unusual name. I found it a bit uncomfortable when you had telephone contacts with people who were suspected criminals who could quite easily find out where you live.

Has been up in parliament

In 2021, the previous government proposed that the databases providing judgments should be limited. The Riksdag voted down the proposal because it considered it to be vaguely worded and could involve interference with the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression.

SVT has sought Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M).

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Daniel Westman, a lawyer specializing in media law, clarifies the connection between GDPR and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression. Photo: Pernilla Edholm