Telefónica de España, S.A.U – €45,000 Fine (Spain, 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.
Telefónica was fined EUR 45,000 for signing up a person for a service they didn't agree to and then sending their data to a debt collector. The company processed the person's data without a valid reason, which is against data protection rules. Businesses should ensure they have clear consent before using customer data.
What happened
Telefónica signed up a person for a service without their consent and shared their data with a debt collector.
Who was affected
A person who was wrongly signed up for a service and had their data shared with a collection agency.
What the authority found
The Spanish DPA ruled Telefónica processed personal data unlawfully by booking a service and sharing data without consent.
Why this matters
This case emphasizes the need for companies to obtain clear consent before processing customer data, especially when involving third parties like debt collectors.
GDPR Articles Cited
The Spanish DPA (AEPD) has imposed a fine of EUR 75,000 on Telefonica de España, S.A.U.. A data subject had filed a complaint with the AEPD against the telecommunications company. The controller had booked a service for the data subject without the data subject having concluded a contract for it. After the data subject had accordingly not made any payments for this service, the service was canceled in the same year and a collection agency was commissioned to collect allegedly outstanding debts. The AEPD determined that neither the data processing for the service booking nor the transfer of the data subject's personal data to the collection agency had taken place lawfully. The original fine of EUR 75,000 was reduced to EUR 45,000 due to immediate payment and admission of responsibility.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for Telefónica de España, S.A.U in ES
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Fine Date
21 May 2021
Authority
Agencia Española de Protección de Datos
Fine Amount
€45,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-705
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Telefónica de España, S.A.U - Spain (2021). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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