1. Each Member State shall apply its rules of professional secrecy or other equivalent duties of confidentiality to all persons and bodies required to work with SIS data and supplementary information, in accordance with its national law. That obligation shall also apply after those persons leave office or employment or after the termination of the activities of those bodies.
2. Where a Member State cooperates with external contractors in any SIS-related tasks, it shall closely monitor the activities of the contractor to ensure compliance with all provisions of this Regulation, in particular on security, confidentiality and data protection.
3. The operational management of N.SIS or of any technical copies shall not be entrusted to private companies or private organisations.