Additional Fines in the Area of Personal Data Protection

The fact that underestimating personal data protection does not pay off has been repeatedly demonstrated by several data giants such as Google, Facebook, or Amazon.

Google was fined repeatedly by the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) for breaching data protection rules. This time for the processing of personal data in the form of cookies for advertising purposes without the consent of the data subject and for non-fulfilment of the reporting duty in relation to the use of this personal data. This was not the first time Google was fined for incorrect or insufficient reporting duties. Already in 2019, the CNIL concluded that the availability and comprehensibility of information on the processing of personal data of data subjects is not sufficient.

France is not the only country where Google faces problems with the processing of personal data. Another fine was imposed on Google, for example, by the Belgium authority, where a case of non-compliance with the data subject’s right to be forgotten was resolved.

Data giants are not the only entities to be fined. Also, medical facilities are facing fines for poor personal data security. An example is a Swedish hospital, which was required by the local authority to pay a fine of 180 million Czech crowns.

Despite the fact that the fines imposed so far in the Czech Republic are not as high as fines imposed on giants such as Google or Amazon, we recommend not underestimating the protection of personal data and compliance with reporting duties. Fines are imposed on an individual basis and depend on the scope of the infringement. The educational approach taken so far by the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection with regard to completion of the comprehensive legal regulation of personal data protection is coming to an end, and fines are slowly increasing.

At Stuchlíková & Partners, we have been dealing with personal data protection and its regulation for a long time. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@stuchlikova.com to arrange initial consultation.