Private individual – €5,000 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 man in Germany was fined for filming young women in public without their consent. He followed them closely and recorded them for long periods, which violated their privacy rights. This case highlights the importance of respecting people's privacy in public spaces.
What happened
A private individual filmed young women in public without their consent, capturing their personal data on video.
Who was affected
Young women, some possibly under 14, who were filmed without their consent in public places.
What the authority found
The DPA found the individual processed personal data without a valid legal basis, violating GDPR's principles of lawfulness and fairness.
Why this matters
This case underscores that individuals, not just companies, can be held accountable for privacy violations. It serves as a reminder to respect privacy rights even in public settings.
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The DPA of Hamburg imposed a fine of EUR 5,000 on a private individual. The individual had filmed numerous young women in public. Some of the recorded female persons were apparently younger than 14 years. In several cases, the individual approached the filmed persons to within a few centimeters and followed them with the camera for up to 38 minutes. During a search of the backpack, the police officers found a digital camera and eight memory cards. The seized memory cards contained a total of 156 video files. In the course of its investigation, the DPA found that the individual had processed the personal data of the young women he had filmed, although no effective consent had been given.
Related Enforcement Actions (16)
Other enforcement actions involving Private individual in DE
Fine
€5K
Details
Fine Date
1 January 2021
Authority
Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz
Fine Amount
€5,000
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Private individual - Germany (2021). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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