- Enforcing jurisdiction
- Finland · Geography does not establish applicable law.
- Confirmed applicable legislation
- No confirmed legal basis recorded.
- Privacy topics
Sanoma Media Finland Oy – Dismissed (Finland, 2021)
Privacy enforcement record
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A Finnish media company was cleared of wrongdoing after refusing to erase personal tax information from its public portals. This ruling is important because it confirms that certain data processing for journalistic purposes is allowed under GDPR.
What happened
The company declined a request to remove personal tax information from its media outlets.
Who was affected
An individual who wanted their personal tax information removed from public access.
What the authority found
The Finnish DPA found that the company was not required to comply with the request because the information was used for journalistic purposes.
Why this matters
This case reinforces the idea that journalistic activities can be exempt from certain data protection rules. Media companies should understand these exemptions when handling personal data.
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Linked-source text retrieved.
Automated check recorded — 23 March 2026.
Processing notes: articles corrected, national law identified.
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By law, the Finnish Tax Administration (Verohallinto) is obliged to release every taxpayer's personal tax records to the public, to a limited extent. An individual requested two media outlets owned by Sanoma Media Finland Oy (the Company) to stop processing and to erase their personal tax information from the media outlets' tax information portals which were public to all readers. The Company refused to follow the request, and therefore the individual filed a complaint with the Finnish DPA (Tietosuojavaltuutetun toimisto). The Finnish DPA found that the Company was not obliged to comply with the request because the information was processed solely for journalistic purposes, a type of processing which is exempted from certain provisions of the GDPR under § 27(1) of the Finnish Data Protection Act (Tietosuojalaki). The Finnish DPA therefore concluded that the processing of the personal data was neither in breach of Article 5(1)(a) GDPR, nor of Article 32 GDPR.
Outcome
Dismissed
The complaint or investigation was dismissed.
Related Enforcement Actions (1)
Other enforcement actions involving Sanoma Media Finland Oy in FI
Details
Decision Date
27 October 2021
Authority
DPA Tietosuojavaltuutetu
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Sanoma Media Finland Oy - Finland (2021). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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