The migration ministry in Greece was fined for data protection breaches in migrant camps it administers, according to a statement made by an independent data watchdog on Wednesday.

The Hellenic data protection authority said in a statement that it had found "serious shortcomings" in the ministry's compliance with data protection rules, without giving further details.

The watchdog said it had examined the ministry's systems for digital security management and entry-exit control at the camps, after receiving information requests from the European Parliament's Committee on civil liberties and the U.N. refugee agency.

It said there was also a "lack of cooperation" by the ministry and that its data protection impact assessments "were substantially incomplete".

The ministry was fined 175,000 euros ($189,000) and given three months to comply with the rules, the watchdog said.

The ministry was contacted by AFP for a comment but did not immediately reply.

The installation of access barriers, surveillance cameras and X-ray machines at EU-funded migrant camps on Greece's Aegean islands had already drawn criticism from rights groups in recent years.

In 2023, the Refugee Support Aegean group said asylum seekers and their children lived under "disproportionate" security and surveillance measures.

Children at two of the camps undergo a security check even when they return from school, RSA said.

Some camp staff had also reportedly complained at the time.