Court case N. R.G. 54031/2025 – Court Ruling (Italy, 2026)
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In December 2024, the investigative television programme Report, by the national broadcaster Rai, aired a segment addressing a political controversy involving then-Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano. The controversy involved the provisional appointment of the Minister’s affair partner for a role of public relevance, then withdrawn. The programme shared excerpts of a private telephone conversation between Sangiuliano and his wife requesting to withdraw the appointment, as well as references to other communications with ministry officials. The broadcast suggested that personal considerations had influenced the decision not to proceed with the appointment. Following the broadcast, Sangiuliano and his wife filed separate complaints against Rai. In October 2025 the DPA imposed an administrative fine of €150,000 and ordered Rai to cease further processing of the audio recording, including its storage in its archives. The DPA held that the dissemination of the private conversation exceeded what was necessary for journalistic purposes and violated data protection principles, in particular the requirement of essentiality of information. Rai challenged the decision, arguing that the broadcast pursued a legitimate public interest and complied with the journalistic exemption under data protection law. The court annulled the DPA’s decision, holding that the broadcast fell within the legitimate exercise of investigative journalism and respected the proper balance between privacy and freedom of information. From a privacy perspective, the court emphasised that data protection rules do not prohibit the dissemination of personal data as such, but require a contextual assessment of whether the disclosure is essential to inform the public about matters of genuine public interest. In this case, the court found that the private conversation was not used to berate the Minister’s personal life, but to demonstrate, through unmediated evidence, the concrete influence of private relationships i
National Law Articles
In December 2024, the investigative television programme Report, by the national broadcaster Rai, aired a segment addressing a political controversy involving then-Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano. The controversy involved the provisional appointment of the Minister’s affair partner for a role of public relevance, then withdrawn. The programme shared excerpts of a private telephone conversation between Sangiuliano and his wife requesting to withdraw the appointment, as well as references to other communications with ministry officials. The broadcast suggested that personal considerations had influenced the decision not to proceed with the appointment. Following the broadcast, Sangiuliano and his wife filed separate complaints against Rai. In October 2025 the DPA imposed an administrative fine of €150,000 and ordered Rai to cease further processing of the audio recording, including its storage in its archives. The DPA held that the dissemination of the private conversation exceeded what was necessary for journalistic purposes and violated data protection principles, in particular the requirement of essentiality of information. Rai challenged the decision, arguing that the broadcast pursued a legitimate public interest and complied with the journalistic exemption under data protection law. The court annulled the DPA’s decision, holding that the broadcast fell within the legitimate exercise of investigative journalism and respected the proper balance between privacy and freedom of information. From a privacy perspective, the court emphasised that data protection rules do not prohibit the dissemination of personal data as such, but require a contextual assessment of whether the disclosure is essential to inform the public about matters of genuine public interest. In this case, the court found that the private conversation was not used to berate the Minister’s personal life, but to demonstrate, through unmediated evidence, the concrete influence of private relationships i
Outcome
Court Ruling
A ruling by a national court on a data-protection matter.
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Cite as: Cookie Fines. Court case N. R.G. 54031/2025 - Italy (2026). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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