Police department – Fine (Germany, 2021)
General GDPR enforcement action
This case relates to broader data protection obligations, not specifically to cookie or consent banner compliance. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.
A police officer in Germany shared personal information about a drunk driving incident with the offender's mother during an unexpected meeting. This was considered a violation of privacy laws. It underscores the need for law enforcement to handle sensitive information carefully.
What happened
A police officer disclosed personal data about a drunk driving case to an unauthorized third party.
Who was affected
The offender and their family were affected by the unauthorized disclosure of personal information.
What the authority found
The authority found that the officer's disclosure was unlawful under data protection regulations.
Why this matters
This case illustrates that even well-intentioned actions by law enforcement can breach privacy laws, emphasizing the need for strict adherence to data protection protocols.
A police officer had unlawfully disclosed personal data of a drunk driving incident to the offender's mother during a chance encounter. He thought that the mother, as his employer, could prevent a repeat offense by withdrawing the offender's car. However, the mother constitutes an unauthorized third party, meaning that the police officer was not allowed to disclose the information. For this reason, the DPA of Brandenburg imposed a fine for a violation of § 32 (1) BbgDSG. The Brandenburg Data Protection Act (BbgDSG) sets out the supplementary regulations necessary to adapt the GDPR.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for Police department in DE
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Fine Date
1 January 2021
Authority
Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-1280
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Police department - Germany (2021). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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