Company – €75,000 Fine (Germany, 2023)
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 company in Germany was fined €75,000 for improperly sharing an employee's sick leave information with multiple colleagues. This case matters because it shows that companies must protect sensitive employee data and only share it when necessary.
What happened
A company shared an employee's sick leave information with a large group of colleagues, violating privacy rules.
Who was affected
The employee whose sickness-related absences were disclosed to multiple colleagues.
What the authority found
The Hamburg data protection authority ruled that the company unlawfully disclosed sensitive health information, violating GDPR's requirements for data protection.
Why this matters
This fine highlights the importance of limiting access to sensitive employee data to only those who need it. Companies should ensure their internal policies comply with privacy laws to avoid similar penalties.
GDPR Articles Cited
The DPA of Hamburg imposed a fine of EUR 75,000 on a company. An employee had lodged a complaint with the DPA due to the fact that they had to report their sickness-related absences by e-mail in an e-mail distribution list with 25 colleagues and superiors, although the internal company guideline stipulated that the sickness report only had to be submitted to the manager of the respective department. In addition, their manager had sent an email to a e-mail distribution list with several recipients listing all their sick days. During its investigation, the DPA found that such extensive disclosure was not necessary and therefore unlawful.
Related Enforcement Actions (20)
Other enforcement actions involving Company in DE
Fine
€75K
Details
Fine Date
1 January 2023
Authority
Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz
Fine Amount
€75,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-2280
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Company - Germany (2023). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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