It was established on 29 August 1997 as the General Inspector of Personal Data Protection (Polish: Generalny Inspektor Ochrony Danych Osobowych, GIODO).

The General Inspector was appointed for a 4-year term (counting from the date of taking the oath of office) by the Sejm with the consent of the Senate.

General Inspectors were subject only to the law in the performance of their duties and were entitled to legal immunity.

Under Article 20 of the 1997 Act, the Inspector General submitted a report on its activities to the Sejm once a year, together with conclusions resulting from the state of compliance with the provisions on personal data protection.

[3] According to Articles 159-171 of the 2018 Act, the President of the Office is the legal continuator of the General Inspector of Personal Data Protection.