Unknown municipality – No Violation (Denmark, 2019)
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.
Denmark's data protection authority found that a municipality legally processed information from users of its website's search function. This is significant because it shows that public services can use certain data to improve user experience without violating privacy rules.
What happened
A municipality's website suggested search terms that included a person's name.
Who was affected
Citizens who used the municipality's website and triggered the search function.
What the authority found
The authority ruled that the municipality had a legal basis to process the search information under GDPR.
Why this matters
This case illustrates that public entities can use data for better services as long as they follow privacy regulations. It encourages other public services to innovate while respecting user privacy.
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Automated check recorded — 18 October 2026.
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The DPA examined a complaint against a search function which suggested certain search suggestions automatically. Thus, when entering certain words, the complainant’s name was automatically suggested and two search results appeared in the search engine. Is there a legal basis to the processing related to information about citizens who used a “type-ahead” search function on the municipality’s website? The Datatilsynet confirmed that a municipality had a legal basis to process information about citizens who used a “type-ahead” search function on the municipality’s website under Article 6(1)(e) GDPR. It also found that the purpose of this function was to offer a better service to citizens and that only the keyword was stored in the search engine, not any user’s details; in accordance with Article 5(1)(c) GDPR.
Outcome
No Violation
The DPA investigated and found no violation.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for Unknown municipality in DK
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Unknown municipality - Denmark (2019). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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