Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. – Complaint Upheld (Austria, 2023)

Complaint Upheld
Datenschutzbehörde19 September 2023Austria
final
Complaint Upheld

Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. was found to have a cookie banner that did not allow users to decline cookies. This lack of a reject option meant that visitors' data was shared with third parties without their permission. This ruling reinforces the idea that companies must respect user choices regarding their online privacy.

What happened

The cookie banner on Hearst's website did not include a 'decline' option and transmitted data to third parties without proper consent.

Who was affected

Website visitors whose data was shared through third-party cookies without their consent.

What the authority found

The authority upheld the complaint, stating that Hearst violated GDPR by failing to provide a way for users to reject cookies.

Why this matters

This case serves as a reminder for companies to ensure their cookie consent mechanisms are compliant with privacy regulations. Businesses must prioritize user consent to protect their privacy rights.

GDPR Articles Cited

Art. 17 GDPR
Art. 19 GDPR
Art. 7(3) GDPR
Full Legal Summary
Detailed

The website's cookie banner lacked a 'decline' option, and third-party cookies were transmitted without proper consent.

Outcome

Complaint Upheld

A data subject complaint that was upheld by the DPA.

Violations (2)

No Reject Button
critical

Cookie banner does not provide a clear reject/refuse all button at the same level as the accept button.

Art. 7 GDPR

Third-Party Cookies Without Consent
critical

Third-party tracking cookies or scripts are loaded without obtaining prior user consent.

Art. 13, 14 GDPR

Related Enforcement Actions (0)

No other enforcement actions found for Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. in AT

This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.

Details

Decision Date

19 September 2023

Authority

Datenschutzbehörde

GDPRhub ID

gdprhub-6270

About this data

Data: GDPRhub (noyb.eu)
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
AI-verified and classified
Cookie relevance: 100%

Cite as: Cookie Fines. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. - Austria (2023). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu

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