Website providing legal information – €15,000 Fine (Belgium, 2019)
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 Belgian website offering legal news was fined €15,000 because its privacy statement was only in English, even though it served Dutch and French speakers. The privacy statement was also hard to find and didn't explain why data was collected. This case highlights the importance of clear and accessible privacy policies for all users.
What happened
The website had its privacy statement only in English and didn't clearly explain the legal basis for data processing.
Who was affected
Visitors to the legal news website who spoke Dutch or French and couldn't understand the privacy statement.
What the authority found
The Belgian authority fined the website €15,000 for not providing a clear and accessible privacy statement, violating GDPR's transparency requirements.
Why this matters
This case emphasizes that websites must provide privacy policies in languages understood by their audience and clearly state the legal basis for data collection. It serves as a reminder for businesses to ensure their privacy statements are accessible and comprehensive.
GDPR Articles Cited
An operator of a website for legal news had the privacy statement only available in English, although it was also addressed to a Dutch and French speaking audience. In addition, the first version of the privacy statement was not easily accessible and did not mention the legal basis for data processing under the GDPR. Furthermore, with reference to the ECJ ruling on Planet 49, it was determined that effective consent was required for the use of Google Analytics.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for Website providing legal information in BE
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Fine Date
17 December 2019
Authority
Autorité de Protection des Données
Fine Amount
€15,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-169
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Website providing legal information - Belgium (2019). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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