1. Member States shall ensure that competent authorities establish independent and autonomous communication channels, which are both secure and ensure confidentiality, for receiving and following-up the reporting of infringements ('dedicated communication channels').
2. Dedicated communication channels shall be considered independent and autonomous, provided that they meet all of the following criteria:
(a) they are separated from general communication channels of the competent authority, including those through which the competent authority communicates internally and with third parties in its ordinary course of business;
(b) they are designed, set up and operated in a manner that ensures the completeness, integrity and confidentiality of the information and prevents access to non-authorised staff members of the competent authority;
(c) they enable the storage of durable information in accordance with Article 7 to allow for further investigations.
3. The dedicated communication channe
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