Telekom Deutschland GmbH – Court Ruling (Germany, 2023)

Court Ruling
DPA LGKln3 November 2023Germany
final
Court Ruling

Telekom Deutschland GmbH faced a court ruling for using cookies without proper consent, which led to data being sent to companies in the US. This matters because it highlights the importance of getting user permission before tracking their online activity. Companies should ensure they are transparent about cookie usage to avoid similar issues.

What happened

Telekom Deutschland GmbH unlawfully used cookies that transferred data to US companies without obtaining user consent.

Who was affected

Website visitors whose data was collected through Telekom's cookies without their permission.

What the authority found

The court ruled that Telekom lacked a valid legal basis for processing personal data, violating GDPR's requirements for consent.

Why this matters

This ruling emphasizes that companies must be clear about cookie usage and obtain consent from users. It sets a precedent for holding companies accountable for improper data practices.

GDPR Articles Cited
Automatically processed
Art. 44(GDPR)
Art. 49(GDPR)
View original scraped data
Art. 44(GDPR)
Art. 49(GDPR)

Original imported citations before automated processing; the processing history does not establish independent verification.

Decision AuthorityOLG Köln
Reviewed AuthorityLG Köln (Germany)

Source checks

Linked-source text retrieved.

Review needed — 20 March 2026.

Processing notes: articles corrected, national law identified, authority corrected, date discrepancy.

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Full Legal Summary
Detailed

The case involves the unlawful transfer of personal data to US-based companies through cookies without proper consent.

Outcome

Court Ruling

A ruling by a national court on a data-protection matter.

Violations (2)

Third-Party Cookies Without Consent
critical

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

Art. 13, 14 GDPR

Unclear Cookie Information
high

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 Telekom Deutschland GmbH in DE

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

Details

Ruling Date

3 November 2023

Authority

DPA LGKln

About this data

Data: GDPRhub (noyb.eu)
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Automatically normalized and classified
Cookie relevance: 80%

Cite as: Cookie Fines. Telekom Deutschland GmbH - Germany (2023). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu

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