Business Removal Policy

1. Overview

Anyone listed in ARBK Atlas can ask us to remove their entry from our index. We review every request individually. Approval depends on (a) verifying the requestor's identity and authority and (b) whether removal is consistent with our legitimate-interest assessment under GDPR Article 21 / Kosovo Law on Personal Data Protection 06/L-082 Article 21 and applicable law.

2. What we can and cannot remove

What we can remove: our index entry for a specific NUI, derived analytics (risk scores, owner-network edges), search results that match the entry, and cached data on our servers.

What we cannot remove: the underlying public record at the Kosovo Business Registration Agency (arbk.rks-gov.net). For that you must contact the agency directly. We also cannot remove independent third-party sources such as news articles, court judgments, or other public records that mention the business.

3. Who can request removal

• The registered owner or shareholder of the business.
• An authorized representative with a notarized power of attorney.
• The business's appointed legal counsel.
• For closed or dissolved businesses: the former owner or their legal heir.
• Government agencies acting in an official capacity, via official channels.

4. What we need from you

• NUI (Numri Unik Identifikues) of the business.
• Contact email address.
• Full name of the requestor.
• Reason for removal (free text — see Section 6).
• Identity-verification document (link or attachment to a government-issued ID). Stored encrypted and deleted after 90 days.
• For representatives: notarized power of attorney.

5. How to submit a request

• Online: use our self-serve removal form.
• Email: [email protected]
• Postal: Rrahim Beqiri 1, 10000 Prishtinë, Republic of Kosovo

Submissions are rate-limited to 3 per 5 minutes per IP address to protect our systems.

6. Valid grounds

• Inaccurate or outdated personal data (right to rectification — GDPR Art 16 / Kosovo Law Art 16).
• Data no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
• Successful objection on grounds relating to your particular situation (GDPR Art 21).
• Personal-safety risk demonstrated by credible evidence (e.g. domestic abuse case, witness protection).
• Erroneous association (wrong NUI, wrong owner).
• Withdrawal of consent where consent is the legal basis (rare for our public-data processing).

7. Grounds we may refuse

We may refuse a removal request, citing legitimate interest or legal obligation, if the removal would:

• Frustrate freedom of expression and information (GDPR Art 17(3)(a)).
• Conflict with a legal obligation we are subject to (Art 17(3)(b)).
• Conflict with reasons of public interest (Art 17(3)(c)).
• Frustrate establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims (Art 17(3)(e)).
• Be inconsistent with the public-record nature of business-registry data (compelling legitimate interest under Art 21(1)).

8. Identity verification

We require evidence that the requestor is entitled to act for the business: a government ID matching the registered owner's name, and for representatives a notarized power of attorney. ID documents are stored encrypted, retained for 90 days for audit, then deleted automatically.

9. Processing time

We acknowledge requests within 5 business days and decide within 30 calendar days. Complex cases may extend by another 60 days with notice, in line with GDPR Art 12(3). Decisions are sent to the email of record with our reasoning.

10. Partial removals

Where a full removal is refused, we may offer a partial measure: hiding the business from search results while preserving direct-NUI lookup, removing personal contact details (phone, email) while keeping commercial data, suppressing derived analytics only, or adding a correction notice.

11. Right to appeal

• Internal appeal: email [email protected] within 30 days. We re-review with a different reviewer.
• Kosovo regulator: file a complaint with Agjencia për Informim dhe Privatësi (AIP) at aip.rks-gov.net.
• EU residents: file a complaint with your national supervisory authority.
• Judicial remedy in the competent courts of Pristina.

12. Free of charge

Removal requests are free. Manifestly unfounded or excessive (especially repetitive) requests may incur a reasonable fee or be refused under GDPR Art 12(5).

13. Republication after removal

Once removed, we maintain a NUI exclusion list to prevent the business from re-appearing in subsequent index refreshes. If the underlying registry data changes materially (e.g. new owner registered), we may re-index after notifying the prior requestor.

14. Contact

Email: [email protected]

Address: Rrahim Beqiri 1, 10000 Prishtinë, Republic of Kosovo

Phone: +383 45 957 990

NUI: 812382414