Claimant: Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände - Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. (vzbv) – Court Ruling (Germany, 2020)
A German consumer group sued advocado GmbH for using pre-ticked cookie consent boxes on its website, which the court found invalid under GDPR. The case emphasizes the need for clear and affirmative consent for cookie use on websites. Companies should review their cookie consent practices to ensure compliance.
What happened
A German court found that advocado GmbH's use of pre-ticked consent boxes for cookies violated GDPR's consent requirements.
Who was affected
Visitors to advocado GmbH's website who were subject to cookie tracking without valid consent.
What the authority found
The court ruled that pre-ticked consent boxes do not meet GDPR's requirement for clear and affirmative user consent.
Why this matters
This case reinforces the importance of obtaining explicit consent for cookies, especially after the CJEU's 'Planet 49' decision. Website operators must ensure their consent mechanisms are compliant with GDPR standards.
GDPR Articles Cited
National Law Articles
The website used pre-ticked boxes for cookies, failed to inform users properly, and involved third-party data transfers without consent.
Outcome
Court Ruling
A ruling by a national court on a data-protection matter.
Violations (4)
Cookie consent checkboxes are pre-selected by default, violating the requirement for active, affirmative consent.
Art. 4(11) GDPR
Non-essential cookies (tracking, advertising) are placed on the user's device before obtaining valid consent.
Art. 6(1) GDPR
Third-party tracking cookies or scripts are loaded without obtaining prior user consent.
Art. 13, 14 GDPR
The cookie banner or cookie policy provides vague, incomplete, or unclear information about what cookies are used and why.
Art. 12, 13 GDPR
Related Cases (0)
No other cases found for Claimant: Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände - Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. (vzbv) in DE
This is the only recorded case for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Similar Cases
Enforcement actions with similar violations
Details
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Claimant: Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände - Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. (vzbv) - Germany (2020). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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