When making public information about contractors of a local government unit available, must NIP and REGON numbers also be anonymised?

ANSWER

The Tax Identification Number (NIP) is a ten-digit code used to identify taxpayers in Poland, introduced by the October 1995 Act and in force since 1996. It is issued by the head of the tax office.

It can be said that in the business world it is the equivalent of a PESEL number and identifies the taxpayer. The REGON register is a continuously updated collection of information on entities in the national economy; the REGON number identifies an entity entered in the register, including natural persons conducting business activity and running individual farms. If a NIP or REGON relates to natural persons, it should be anonymised, or rather masked, e.g. by replacing digits with asterisks.