Company – €50,000 Fine (Germany, 2022)
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 €50,000 for sending out a social plan with personal details of employees to all staff without permission. This is important because it shows that companies must protect sensitive employee information.
What happened
The company sent an unredacted social plan containing personal details to all employees without a legal basis.
Who was affected
Employees whose personal data, including sensitive information like disability status, was disclosed to all staff.
What the authority found
The DPA ruled that the company unlawfully disclosed personal data without a valid legal basis, violating GDPR's requirements for data protection.
Why this matters
This case underscores the need for companies to handle sensitive employee data carefully and ensure they have a legal basis for any disclosures. It serves as a warning to protect employee privacy, especially when dealing with sensitive information.
GDPR Articles Cited
The DPA of Bremen has imposed a five-digit fine on a company. The company had sent an unredacted social plan to all affected employees in the context of dismissals due to operational reasons, resulting in the disclosure of personal data contained therein, such as date of birth, age, marital status, number of dependent children, function in the company, severe disability, etc., to all employees. The DPA found that such extensive disclosure of personal data was unlawful due to the lack of a legal basis. The DPA considered the fact that special categories of personal data, such as information on a severe disability, had also been disclosed to be an aggravating factor.
Related Enforcement Actions (20)
Other enforcement actions involving Company in DE
Fine
€50K
Details
Fine Date
1 January 2022
Authority
Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz
Fine Amount
€50,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-1724
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Company - Germany (2022). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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