Moderate
Guidance
Announced
European Union · Feb 16, 2024
28 NGOs urge EU Data Protection Board to reject Meta's 'Pay or Okay' consent model
A coalition of 28 NGOs, including Wikimedia Europe, Bits of Freedom and the Norwegian Consumer Council, sent a joint letter to the European Data Protection Board requesting a binding opinion on Meta's "Pay or Okay" system, which forces…
European Data Protection Board (EDPB) · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Data protection authority action
Published
DE-BAVARIA · Feb 5, 2024
Bavarian DPA declares CRIF‑Acxiom data trading illegal under GDPR
The Bavarian data protection authority ruled that credit reference agency CRIF illegally purchased personal data from address trader Acxiom and breached GDPR purpose‑limitation and information duties. The decision follows a similar…
Bavarian Data Protection Authority · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Pending
European Union · Jan 28, 2024
Survey finds 74% of insiders say authorities would find GDPR violations in average EU company
A noyb survey of over 1,000 data‑protection professionals reports that 74% believe authorities would discover relevant GDPR violations during on‑site inspections. Respondents cite lack of clear DPA decisions, fines, and public enforcement…
EDPB · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Court ruling
Decided
European Union · Dec 7, 2023
CJEU rules automated credit scoring violates GDPR and expands judicial review of DPAs
The Court of Justice of the European Union issued two judgments: one confirming national courts can fully review DPA decisions, and another finding that automatically calculated credit scores breach Article 22 GDPR. The rulings require…
EDPB · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Filed
Austria · Nov 28, 2023
noyb files GDPR complaint against Meta over “Pay or Okay” tracking fee
noyb lodged a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority alleging that Meta’s practice of charging users up to €251.88 a year to avoid personalized advertising violates GDPR consent requirements. The complaint references the…
Austrian Data Protection Authority · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Filed
European Union · Nov 16, 2023
noyb files complaint with EDPS over EU Commission’s political micro‑targeting ads on X
noyb lodged a complaint with the European Data Protection Supervisor alleging the EU Commission used unlawful micro‑targeting on X to promote its chat‑control proposal. The ads targeted users based on political views and religious beliefs…
European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Interpretation
Announced
European Union · Oct 3, 2023
Meta proposes 'Pay for your Rights' model charging EU users €160/year for non‑consent
Meta plans to charge EU users €160 per year if they do not consent to the processing of their personal data on Facebook and Instagram. The proposal references an obiter dictum from the CJEU case C‑252/21 that an alternative to ads may be…
Irish Data Protection Commission · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Fine
Decided
Norway (EEA) · Sep 29, 2023
Norwegian Privacy Appeals Board upholds €5.8 million fine against Grindr
The Norwegian Privacy Appeals Board confirmed the Norwegian Data Protection Authority's fine of NOK 65 million against the dating app Grindr for sharing sensitive personal data with third parties. The fine, approximately €5.8 million…
Norwegian Data Protection Authority · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Filed
European Union · Aug 31, 2023
noyb files complaints against Fitbit in Austria, Netherlands, Italy over forced consent for data transfers
noyb lodged three complaints with the Austrian, Dutch and Italian data protection authorities alleging that Fitbit forces new EU users to consent to transfers of personal and health data to the United States and other countries. The…
Austrian Data Protection Authority, Dutch Data Protection Authority, Italian Data Protection Authority · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Announced
European Union · Aug 1, 2023
Meta to switch to consent for behavioral ads after EU litigation
Meta announced it will seek user consent before showing behavioral ads in the EU and Switzerland, changing its legal basis from legitimate interest to consent. The move follows litigation by noyb, decisions by the EDPB and the CJEU, and a…
Irish Data Protection Commission · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Settled
Belgium · Jul 19, 2023
Belgian DPA settles with news outlets, allowing them to avoid GDPR compliance
Fifteen Belgian news sites paid €10,000 each in a settlement with the Belgian Data Protection Authority, which closed the cases without ordering changes to unlawful cookie banners. noyb filed complaints to force the DPA to reopen…
Belgian Data Protection Authority · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
In effect
Norway (EEA) · Jul 17, 2023 · effective Aug 4, 2023
Norwegian DPA temporarily bans Meta’s behavioral advertising on Facebook and Instagram
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) issued a temporary ban on Meta's use of behavioral advertising on Facebook and Instagram, effective from August 4 for at least three months. The ban remains until Meta can demonstrate…
Datatilsynet · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Court ruling
Decided
Germany · Jul 4, 2023
CJEU rules Meta must rely on consent for advertising, limiting GDPR bypass attempts
The Court of Justice of the EU held that Meta may only process personal data for core services and must obtain freely given consent for advertising and data sharing. The judgment rejects Meta's reliance on contractual necessity and…
EDPB · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Filed
Belgium · Jun 23, 2023
noyb files complaint against TeleSign for unlawful profiling of mobile users
noyb filed a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority alleging that TeleSign receives phone data from BICS and creates reputation scores without consent, violating the GDPR. The complaint cites the use of AI-generated trust…
Belgian Data Protection Authority · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Fine
In effect
France · Jun 22, 2023
French CNIL fines Criteo €40 million for GDPR violations
The French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) fined Criteo €40 million for violating the GDPR, including lack of valid consent, transparency, and failure to respect the right to erasure and access. The enforcement followed complaints filed…
CNIL · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Guidance
Announced
European Union · Apr 4, 2023
noyb launches free tool for broad Facebook opt‑out under GDPR
The privacy NGO noyb released an online tool that lets users submit a broad objection to Meta’s processing of personal data for targeted advertising, which Meta bases on “legitimate interest”. The tool simplifies the GDPR right to object…
EDPB · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Data protection authority action
Decided
Austria · Mar 27, 2023
Austrian DPA rules CRIF's processing of Austrian citizens' personal data illegal
The Austrian Data Protection Authority found that CRIF GmbH illegally processed addresses, dates of birth, names and other personal data of millions of Austrians obtained from AZ Direkt without consent or legal basis, ordering the deletion…
Austrian Data Protection Authority · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Fine
Announced
Ireland · Jan 27, 2023
Irish DPC announces €390 million fine on Meta for GDPR consent breach
The Irish Data Protection Commission announced a €390 million fine against Meta, ordering it to obtain valid consent for personalized advertising after the European Data Protection Board issued a binding decision. The fine illustrates…
Irish Data Protection Commission · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Guidance
Published
European Union · Jan 24, 2023
EDPB releases draft report on minimum requirements for cookie consent banners
The European Data Protection Board's task force issued a draft report outlining unlawful cookie banner practices under EU law. It sets a minimum threshold for consent banners, including the need for a visible reject option and prohibition…
European Data Protection Board (EDPB) · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Published
Ireland · Jan 11, 2023
Irish DPC fines Meta €60m for unlawful processing and €150m for transparency breaches
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) issued a final decision imposing a €150 million fine on Facebook for transparency failures and a €60 million fine on Meta for lacking a legal basis to process personal data. The decision also…
Irish Data Protection Commission · General Data Protection Regulation
