News digest: Personal data in danger and a lack of trust in foreigners

Here is the news from Slovakia you should know about on September 17, 2020. If you like this digest and would like to help us continue providing it free of charge to all our readers, buy our online subscription. Thank you!

Foreigners cannot be trusted, most Slovaks believe

A recent poll conducted by the Focus agency, surveying 1,009 respondents for the Milan Šimečka Foundation (NMŠ), shows that an overwhelming portion of Slovaks would not accept foreigners as part of their families.

The first part of the poll published in June found that the degree of social distance towards foreigners varies both in terms of country of origin, as well as other characteristics. It also varies in terms of proximity, or the acceptance of foreigners as neighbours.

“The result is not surprising or specific to Slovakia in itself,” Ivana Rapoš Božič, sociologist of Masaryk University in Brno said, noting that a family is the most intimate space for most people. Social distancing from others is thus common in this case.

Yet Slovaks have long been less accepting of foreigners in Slovakia according to previous Focus surveys for NMŠ.

Data from the coronavirus app could leak

The Nethemba IT security firm published a blog post on Thursday claiming that it was able to extract information about more than 130,000 patients who got the COVID-19 test in Slovakia, including their personal identification numbers (birth number) and the results of their coronavirus tests. The data of 390,000 patients were in danger.

Nethemba notified the providers about the error in the app and only reported about it once it was fixed on September 16 by 16:50.

Former high-ranking Financial Administration officer detained

The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) detained Ľudovít Makó, former head of the Financial Administration's Criminal Office.

The police organised raids in the Záhorie region and the village of Jelenec (Nitra Region) on the morning of September 17. They wrote on Facebook that they detained a former official of the Financial Administration and charged him with a violent crime. They did not provide further details.

Photo of the day:

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban (left) and Slovak PM Igor Matovič exchange the ribbons they've just cut during the inauguration ceremony of a new bridge across the Danube River connecting the two countries in Komárom, Hungary. (Source: AP/TASR )

The new bridge between Komárno and Komárom is 600 metres long and includes a cycling path and a pedestrian path. The bridge cost €117 million, mostly paid from the EU funds.

Coronavirus in Slovakia:

The police will start making random checks on the border with the Czech Republic at 9 am on Friday, when the new border regime comes into force.
Travellers to the United Arab Emirates are required to take a COVID-19 test, no later than 96 hours before arriving in the country. The UAE Embassy in Vienna and airlines can provide information about the requirements of individual emirates.
Slovakia reported 161 new coronavirus cases on Thursday.
The Trstená hospital reports 21 infected among their staff.
25 people linked to the Skalica ice hockey club tested positive for the coronavirus.

More news from Slovakia:

The Specialised Criminal Court in Banská Bystrica ordered the custody of four people charged in the Weeds operation, linked to vast corruption at Žilina courts.

The police pressed charges against two men for attempting to bribe the Agriculture Ministry State Secretary Martin Fecko. Fecko collaborated with the police. (TASR)
The Belgian investigators will invite a Slovak expert to the team investigating the death of Jozef Chovanec, the Office of the President reported.
The smoke from the fires on the west coast of the US was detected in the atmosphere above Slovakia. In some places, it was visible to the naked eye, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute reported.
Three companies will receive €3 million as investment aid. In return, Mahle Behr Senica, BHS-Sonthofen and Charvát Strojárne will create 175 jobs.