Madloba's Legal Position: Open Information About Companies
Madloba.info publishes open information about legal entities operating in Georgia in accordance with Article 17 of the Constitution of Georgia (freedom of information). The Georgian Law on Personal Data Protection protects data about natural persons — it does not prohibit cataloguing companies whose data is already published in open sources.
What Constitutes Open Information About a Company
Open information about a legal entity, which may be published in a directory, includes:
- Company name, organizational and legal form
- Legal and physical address, office location
- Business phone number, business email
- Field of activity, services, specialization
- Hours of operation
- Company description based on public sources
- Company logo, photographs of storefront or facade
- Links to official websites and social media profiles
All of this data is placed by the company itself in public sources: on their own website, on Facebook, on Google Maps, in the Georgian Public Registry, on storefronts, and in advertising materials.
What Is NOT Open Information
Protected data that we do not publish without consent includes:
- Personal mobile phone numbers of employees
- Home addresses of owners and employees
- Copies of passports, ID cards, or other identification documents
- Personal photographs of natural persons without their consent
- Company financial reporting (unless publicly disclosed)
If such information accidentally appears in a listing — we remove it upon first request, with verification.
The Georgian Law on Personal Data Protection
The Georgian Law on Personal Data Protection (matsne.gov.ge) provides a clear definition:
"Personal data — any information related to an identified or identifiable natural person."
Information about a legal entity (a company, LLC, individual entrepreneur as an organizational form) does not fall under this definition, since it does not relate to a natural person but to a subject of business activity.
This means that consent from a company to publish information about itself in a directory is not required by law. Consent is only required for processing personal data of specific natural persons (for example, a contact person and their personal phone number).
The Constitution of Georgia — Freedom of Information
The right to publish open information is protected by:
- Article 17 of the Constitution of Georgia — "Freedom of opinion and its expression shall be protected. Everyone has the right to freely receive and impart information. Censorship shall be inadmissible."
- Article 18 of the Constitution of Georgia — the right to access public information.
Business directories such as Madloba.info, Google Maps, 2GIS, Yell.ge, and TripAdvisor exercise precisely this right — they collect and disseminate open information about companies, helping users make informed choices.
A Company's Right to Respond to Reviews
The Georgian Law on Consumer Rights Protection (which entered into force in 2022) protects the consumer's right to leave reviews about goods and services.
Accordingly, a company's right to respond is a symmetrical right: a company has the ability to publish responses to customer reviews under those reviews in the listing, free of charge. This is the lawful way for a company to participate in shaping its reputation in the directory.
When to Contact Us
Reach out at [email protected] if:
- Personal data of a natural person has appeared in your listing (e.g., your personal mobile number) — we will remove it
- The listing contains incorrect factual information about your company — we will correct it
- You want to respond to a customer review on behalf of your company — we will help
- You have documentary refutation of a specific review — we will review it
If You Believe Your Rights Have Been Violated
It is your lawful right to contact:
- The State Inspector's Service of Georgia (Personal Data Protection authority) — personaldata.ge
- The courts of Georgia
- The Competition Agency of Georgia (on consumer rights matters)
Madloba.info is ready to cooperate with any official inquiry and will provide all necessary documents and explanations.
Similar questions
External Links
- Georgian Law on Personal Data Protection — https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/1561437
- Constitution of Georgia — https://matsne.gov.ge/en/document/view/30346
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