On December 20, Gímaldið media reported that a Directorate of Immigration (ÚTL) employee had breached confidentiality when sharing personally identifiable information of its clients. 

According to Gímaldið, the employee shared the clients’ names on an Instagram close friends list, photographing handwritten task lists. “Finalise [name],” reads three to-do lists, referring to ÚTL’s applicants. 

In a selfie captioned, “I fear […] may have slayed today,” more names are revealed. 

Another screenshot depicts five tasks, including three names needing “finalising”, captioned, “3 chinese done got clear rejection! Not all heroes wear capes.” 

“3 chinese done got clear rejection!” — Photo by Gímaldið

When Gímaldið contacted ÚTL about the incident, the institution had not heard about it. Responding to Gímaldið, ÚTL spokesperson Þórhildur Hagalín claimed to treat it seriously. According to Icelandic law, the sharing of personal information by government employees is forbidden.