- Enforcing jurisdiction
- Italy · Geography does not establish applicable law.
- Confirmed applicable legislation
- Privacy topics
Ew Business Machines S.p.A. – €20,000 Fine (Italy, 2023)
Privacy enforcement record
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Ew Business Machines S.p.A. was fined for using a video surveillance system that recorded audio and tracked employees' locations without proper consent. This case highlights the need for transparency and legal justification when monitoring employees. Companies must ensure they inform employees about surveillance practices.
What happened
Ew Business Machines S.p.A. was fined EUR 20,000 for improperly monitoring employees through audio recordings and GPS tracking.
Who was affected
Employees of Ew Business Machines S.p.A. who were subjected to audio monitoring and location tracking.
What the authority found
The authority found that the company did not adequately inform employees about the audio monitoring and lacked a legal basis for processing biometric data.
Why this matters
This ruling underscores the importance of clear communication and legal compliance in employee monitoring practices. Companies should review their surveillance policies to ensure they respect employee privacy.
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The Italian DPA has imposed a fine of EUR 20,000 on Ew Business Machines S.p.A.. The controller had installed a video surveillance system that not only recorded images in real time, but also made audio recordings, capturing employees. Both the company's legal representative and their family had access to these recordings via a smartphone. During its investigation, the DPA found that the employees were not adequately informed about the additional audio monitoring. In addition, the company used an application to continuously track the location of some employees via GPS. The DPA found that this continuous location tracking constituted an excessive monitoring of the employees. In addition, the company had installed an alarm system based on the processing of biometric data (fingerprints). In this case, the company could not demonstrate a sufficient legal basis for the processing of the biometric data.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for Ew Business Machines S.p.A. in IT
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Fine Date
1 June 2023
Authority
Garante per la protezione dei dati personali
Fine Amount
€20,000
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Ew Business Machines S.p.A. - Italy (2023). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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