20 MINUTOS EDITORA, S.L. – €50,000 Fine (Spain, 2023)

€50,000Agencia Española de Protección de Datos3 April 2023Spain
final
Fine

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.

Spain fined 20 MINUTOS EDITORA EUR 50,000 for publishing an audio recording of a rape victim's court testimony. The Spanish authority found this violated the victim's privacy rights, as the audio added no real value to the news story. This case highlights the importance of balancing privacy with freedom of information.

What happened

20 MINUTOS EDITORA published an audio recording of a rape victim's court testimony on their website.

Who was affected

The victim of a multiple rape whose court testimony was recorded and published.

What the authority found

The Spanish authority ruled that the publication violated the principle of data minimization, as the audio compromised the victim's privacy without adding value to the report.

Why this matters

This decision underscores the need for media companies to carefully consider privacy when reporting sensitive information. It serves as a reminder that privacy can outweigh the public's right to know, especially in cases involving vulnerable individuals.

GDPR Articles Cited

Art. 5(1)(c) GDPR
Full Legal Summary
Detailed

The Spanish DPA has imposed a fine of EUR 50,000 on 20 MINUTOS EDITORA, S.L.. Several media outlets, including the controller had published an audio recording of a multiple rape victim's testimony in court on their websites. The case had attracted a lot of media attention. During its investigation, the DPA determined that the rape victim's right to privacy outweighed the controller's freedom of information. The audio recordings of the victim did not add any significant value to the reporting, but rather severely compromised the victim's privacy. For this reason, the DPA found that the controller violated the principle of data minimization.

Details

Fine Date

3 April 2023

Authority

Agencia Española de Protección de Datos

Fine Amount

€50,000

Enforcement Tracker ID

ETid-1736

About this data

Data: CMS GDPR Enforcement Tracker
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Cite as: Cookie Fines. 20 MINUTOS EDITORA, S.L. - Spain (2023). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu

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