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Netherlands · Geography does not establish applicable law.
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Locatefamily.com – €525,000 Fine (Netherlands, 2020)

€525,000Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens20 December 2020Netherlands
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Fine

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Locatefamily.com was fined €525,000 for publishing people's contact information without their permission. Many individuals complained that their names, addresses, and phone numbers appeared on the site without them knowing. This case highlights the importance of having a representative in the EU for companies that handle personal data.

What happened

Locatefamily.com published personal contact information of individuals without their consent.

Who was affected

Individuals whose contact information was published on Locatefamily.com without their knowledge.

What the authority found

The Dutch data protection authority found that Locatefamily.com violated GDPR by not having a representative in the EU to handle data requests.

Why this matters

This ruling emphasizes that companies operating in the EU must ensure they have proper representation to address data protection rights. It serves as a warning to online platforms about the importance of user consent.

Recorded legal citations
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Art. 27(GDPR)

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Full Legal Summary
Detailed

The Dutch DPA (AP) has imposed a fine of EUR 525,000 on Locatefamily.com. Locatefamily.com is a platform where people can search for the contact information of family members they have lost contact with or other people they would like to get in touch with. The data subjects complained that their contact information (name, address, phone number) was published on the website without their knowledge. The data subjects were not able to request the deletion of their data published on the site easily, because Locatefamily.com did not have any representation in the European Union. Organizations offering goods or services in the EU must have a representative to whom EU citizens can turn to obtain information or exercise their data protection rights. Accordingly, the Dutch data protection authority found a breach of Art. 27 GDPR.

Related Enforcement Actions (0)

No other enforcement actions found for Locatefamily.com in NL

This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.

Details

Fine Date

20 December 2020

Authority

Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens

Fine Amount

€525,000

Enforcement Tracker ID

ETid-678

About this data

Data: CMS GDPR Enforcement Tracker
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Cite as: Cookie Fines. Locatefamily.com - Netherlands (2020). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu

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