- Enforcing jurisdiction
- Iceland · Geography does not establish applicable law.
- Confirmed applicable legislation
- Privacy topics
DPA case Case no. 2021061304 – Complaint Upheld (Iceland, 2022)
Privacy enforcement record
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Iceland's data protection authority upheld a complaint from a car owner who wanted access to their vehicle's repair history. This decision matters because it reinforces the right of individuals to access their personal data. Companies should be prepared to provide this information when requested.
What happened
A car repair shop denied a request for access to a car owner's service history.
Who was affected
The car owner who requested access to their vehicle's repair and service history.
What the authority found
The DPA stated that the car owner has the right to access their personal data related to their vehicle while they owned it.
Why this matters
This ruling emphasizes the importance of individuals' rights to access their personal data. Companies should have clear processes for handling such requests.
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Secondary-source text retrieved.
Automated check recorded — 18 October 2026.
Processing notes: articles corrected.
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The case concerns an access request from a car owner, the data subject, to a car repair shop, the controller. The access request was sent by a company on behalf of the data subject to the repair shop. The company hired an attorney who electronically signed the access request and asked for personal data on the data subject's car regarding its repair and service history. The controller denied the request. It replied to the data subject that it does not believe itself responsible to process historical data for the vehicles it worked on as this would entail high costs and the legality of such processing would be unclear. Moreover, the service history of most vehicles covers more than one customer and there are no mandates from previous owners. Consequently, the data subject complained to the Icelandic DPA. The data subject argued that he has the right to access his personal data contained in the service and repair history of the vehicle he owns. The controller's refusal to provide the data would constitute a violation of the GDPR. Responding to the allegations in front of the DPA, the controller stated that they only received a request by the company on behalf of the data subject, but no request directly from the data subject. It is their working method to only present customers with data on repair histories when they arrive in person at one of their shops and only in the form of paper and not electronically. The DPA first asserted that the data subject would only have the right to access their own personal data. Consequently, they would only have the right to access the repair history of the car while it was in the possession of the data subject, but no right to receive any information about services done on the car while it was in the possession of previous owners. Next, the DPA noted that that Article 15 GDPR stipulates that a data subject shall have the right to receive confirmation from a controller as to whether personal data concerning him or her is being proc
Outcome
Complaint Upheld
A data subject complaint that was upheld by the DPA.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for DPA case Case no. 2021061304 in IS
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. DPA case Case no. 2021061304 - Iceland (2022). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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