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
Low
Enforcement
Filed
Austria · Jan 11, 2024
Meta sued for charging users to withdraw consent in Austria
Noyb filed a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority alleging that Meta forces users to pay up to €251.88 per year to withdraw consent for tracking. The complaint cites Article 7 of the GDPR, which requires withdrawal to be…
Austrian Data Protection Authority (DSB) · General Data Protection Regulation
Low
Enforcement
Filed
Austria · Jan 4, 2024
noyb files complaint against Austrian creditors’ association KSV1870 for charging for GDPR Article 15 access
noyb lodged a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority alleging that KSV1870 charges €43 for a data‑access service that must be provided free of charge under Article 15 GDPR. The organization allegedly uses misleading website…
Austrian Data Protection Authority · General Data Protection Regulation
Low
Enforcement
Filed
Netherlands · Dec 14, 2023
noyb files GDPR and DSA complaint against X (Twitter) over illegal political micro‑targeting
noyb lodged a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority alleging that X (Twitter) used users' political views and religious beliefs for targeted advertising on behalf of the EU Commission. The complaint asserts violations of the…
Dutch Data Protection Authority · Digital Services Act
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
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
High
Penalty
Published
European Union · Aug 23, 2023
EU data protection board draft decision imposes €390 million fine on Meta for forced consent
In December 2022, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published a draft decision in the “forced consent” case against Meta, finding the company's practices violated the GDPR. The decision resulted in a €390 million fine. The case…
European Data Protection Board · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Enforcement
Pending
European Union · Aug 14, 2023
noyb reports 23 years of illegal EU‑US data transfers and limited enforcement actions
The EU Court of Justice invalidated the Safe Harbor and Privacy Shield deals in 2015 and 2020, making all EU‑US data transfers since 2000 illegal. Despite this, most DPAs have not acted on 101 complaints filed by noyb, with only Sweden…
European Commission · EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework
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
High
Data protection authority action
Filed
Spain · Jul 27, 2023
noyb files complaint with Spanish DPA over Ryanair’s facial‑recognition verification for travel‑agent bookings
noyb lodged a complaint with Spain's Data Protection Authority (AEPD) alleging that Ryanair forces customers who book via online travel agents to undergo a facial‑recognition verification process. The complaint argues that Ryanair lacks a…
Spanish Data Protection Authority (AEPD) · 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
Low
Enforcement
Decided
DE-NI · Jul 14, 2023
German DPA declares heise.de "Pay or Okay" cookie banner illegal
The Lower Saxony Data Protection Authority (LfD) ruled that the "Pay or Okay" model used by heise.de in 2021 violates GDPR because it does not provide specific consent for each purpose. The authority issued a reprimand, noting that…
Data Protection Authority of Lower Saxony (LfD) · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Fine
In effect
Sweden · Jul 3, 2023
Swedish DPA fines Tele2 €1M and CDON €0.3M for illegal use of Google Analytics
The Swedish Data Protection Authority (IMY) issued decisions against four companies for unlawful EU‑US data transfers via Google Analytics. It imposed a fine of 12 mio SEK (≈€1 M) on Tele2 and 300 000 SEK on CDON. The authority also…
Swedish Data Protection Authority (IMY) · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Fine
Announced
Ireland · May 22, 2023
Irish DPC imposes €1.2 billion fine on Meta for EU‑US data transfers
The Irish Data Protection Commission, backed by the European Data Protection Board, ordered Meta to cease all transfers of European personal data to the United States and to return data already transferred to EU data centres. The decision…
Irish Data Protection Commission · Standard Contractual Clauses
Moderate
Data protection authority action
Announced
Malta · May 17, 2023
Maltese DPA orders C-PLANET to disclose data source within 20 days or face fine
The Maltese Data Protection Authority (IDPC) ordered IT company C-PLANET to provide details on the source of personal data collected on voters within 20 days. Failure to comply will result in a proportionate and dissuasive fine under the…
Maltese Data Protection Authority (IDPC) · General Data Protection Regulation
Moderate
Data protection authority action
Decided
Austria · May 10, 2023
Austrian DPA deems Clearview AI’s biometric data processing illegal, orders deletion, no fine
The Austrian Data Protection Authority ruled that Clearview AI may not process the complainant’s biometric data and must delete the data. The decision cites GDPR violations for scraping and selling personal data of Europeans. No monetary…
Austrian Data Protection Authority (DSB) · General Data Protection Regulation
