On 14 May 2025, the Brussels Court of Appeal (Market Court) delivered the long-awaited judgement in the case concerning the Transparency & Consent Framework (“TCF”) (case no. 2022/AR/292). The Court largely upheld the findings of the Belgian Data Protection Authority (“Belgian DPA”), concluding that the TCF’s use of the Transparency and Consent
Continue Reading EU: Brussels Court of Appeal rules on IAB Europe and the TC String – Implications for GDPR Compliance
The Italian Data Protection Authority (the Garante) has issued its first GDPR fine for unlawful retention of metadata from employees’ emails and web browsing activities. The decision applies the Garante’s highly discussed guidelines of 2024 on the use of metadata in workplace email systems.
The Processing of Metadata in the Employment Relations
Metadata
Continue Reading Italy: The Garante Issues First GDPR Fine Over Employees Email Metadata Privacy Breach
The European Commission has published its proposal for a new regulation simplifying the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) requirements for small mid-cap enterprises (“the Proposal“). The Proposal forms part of the European Commission’s Omnibus IV Simplification Package and comes after the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) and the
Continue Reading Europe: European Commission publishes proposal for simplification of the GDPR
In a decision on immaterial damages under Article 82 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Higher Regional Court of Dresden, Germany (case number 4 U 940/24), set out important monitoring and auditing obligations of controllers with respect to their processors.
The controller (defendant) operates an online music
Continue Reading Germany: Monitoring and auditing obligations of controllers with respect to their processors
On April 9, 2025, the coalition agreement of the future German Federal Government, consisting of the three German parties CDU, CSU and SPD, was published. The document entitled “Responsibility for Germany” contains several plans, including some that may fundamentally change the German data protection supervisory authority structure and that aim to ease the regulatory burden
Continue Reading Germany: New government plans to centralize data protection supervision and reduce regulation for small and medium-sized companies
The seventh annual edition of DLA Piper’s GDPR Fines and Data Breach Survey has revealed another significant year in data privacy enforcement, with an aggregate total of EUR1.2 billion (USD1.26 billion/GBP996 million) in fines issued across Europe in 2024.
Ireland once again remains the preeminent enforcer issuing EUR3.5 billion (USD3.7 billion/GBP2.91 billion) in fines since
Continue Reading EU: DLA Piper GDPR Fines and Data Breach Survey: January 2025If employers and works councils agree on ‘more specific rules’ in a works agreement regarding the processing of employees’ personal data in the employment context (Art. 88 (1) GDPR), these must take into account the general data protection principles, including the lawfulness of processing (Art. 5, Art. 6 and Art. 9 GDPR), according to the
Continue Reading Germany: Works agreements cannot legitimate inadmissible data processing.
In its judgement of November 18, 2024 (case number VI ZR 10/24) the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof – “BGH”) clarified key legal issues regarding claims for damages under Article 82 GDPR in the event of a mere loss of control of personal data in the Facebook scraping complex. This blog
Continue Reading Germany: Update: Judgment on Non-Material Damages for Loss of Control over Personal Data
On November 18, 2024, the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof – “BGH”) made a (to date unpublished) judgment under the case number VI ZR 10/24 regarding claims for non-material damages pursuant to Art. 82 GDPR, due to the loss of control over personal data.
The judgment is based on a personal
Continue Reading Germany: Judgment on Non-Material Damages for Loss of Control over Personal DataThe European Data Protection Board (“EDPB“) adopted an opinion on 7 October 2024, providing guidance for data controllers relying on processors (and sub-processors) under the GDPR. The two key themes are:
For many financial institutions, the emphasis on these obligations should not come as a
Continue Reading EU: Engaging vendors in the financial sector: EDPB clarifications mean more mapping and management
