- Enforcing jurisdiction
- Spain · Geography does not establish applicable law.
- Confirmed applicable legislation
- Privacy topics
Vodafone España, S.A.U. – €40,000 Fine (Spain, 2021)
Privacy enforcement record
This record is classified outside cookie consent. Subject classification does not confirm an applicable law. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.
Vodafone España was fined €40,000 for unlawfully charging a customer for a phone line that was not in their name. This case is important because it shows that companies must verify the identity of their customers before processing personal data.
What happened
Vodafone processed a customer's data without proper authorization, leading to an unauthorized charge.
Who was affected
A customer who was wrongly charged for a phone line registered under their ex-partner's name.
What the authority found
The Spanish data protection authority found that Vodafone did not have a lawful basis for processing the customer's data, violating GDPR Article 6.
Why this matters
This case serves as a reminder for companies to implement strict verification processes to protect customer data and avoid legal issues.
View original scraped data
Original imported citations before automated processing; the processing history does not establish independent verification.
Source checks
Linked-source text retrieved.
Automated check recorded — 12 March 2026.
Processing notes: national law identified.
Retrieved text may be a secondary summary or an announcement. These automated statuses do not establish that the original decision was read or that the record received an independent legal review. How we check sources
The Spanish DPA (AEPD) has fined Vodafone España, S.A.U. EUR 40,000. An individual had filed a complaint with the DPA against Vodafone for debiting his bank account in May 2020 for a Vodafone telephone line whose owner was not him but his ex-partner. As it turned out, the complainant's ex-partner had concluded a contract with Vodafone in his name. She stated that she was authorized to do so, but did not provide any proof of this. The DPA found that Vodafone had unlawfully processed the complainant's data. Indeed, compliance with the principle of lawfulness in the processing of third party data requires that the controller is able to prove lawfulness.
Related Enforcement Actions (20)
Other enforcement actions involving Vodafone España, S.A.U. in ES
Fine
€40K
Details
Fine Date
19 October 2021
Authority
Agencia Española de Protección de Datos
Fine Amount
€40,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-881
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Vodafone España, S.A.U. - Spain (2021). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
Last updated: