Man Faces €727.13 Bill for Reporting Illegally Parked Car Due to GDPR Violation
Dresden, Germany - A man from Saxony has been ordered to pay €727.13 in damages and legal fees after reporting a vehicle parked in violation of traffic regulations.The case, decided by the Higher Regional Court of Dresden, highlights the stringent requirements of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and serves as a warning against overzealous citizen reporting.
The incident stems from the man’s attempt to report an illegally parked car via the online platform “weg.li.” While his intention was to alert authorities to a traffic infraction, the photograph he submitted included a clearly identifiable image of the vehicle’s passenger, triggering a GDPR violation. The court’s ruling underscores that even well-intentioned actions can carry significant legal consequences when personal data is processed inappropriately. This case impacts anyone who documents potential wrongdoing and shares it with authorities or online platforms, emphasizing the need to prioritize data privacy.
The man had photographed the offending vehicle and uploaded the image to “weg.li,” which then forwarded the information to the relevant authorities. Though, the photograph inadvertently captured the face of a passenger inside the car. The court resolute this constituted a breach of the GDPR, specifically the principle of data minimization.
Judges criticized the man for failing to submit a photograph that omitted recognizable individuals. They asserted that reporting the infraction did not necessitate including personally identifiable information.The GDPR’s principle of data minimization dictates that only the minimum amount of personal data necessary to achieve a specific purpose should be collected and processed.
The passenger, unaware of where the photograph had been stored for months, was deemed to have suffered an immaterial injury requiring compensation. The court ordered the man to pay €100 in damages to the passenger and €627.13 to cover associated legal costs.
Furthermore, the court mandated the complete deletion of the photograph, including all backups and copies, to ensure full compliance with GDPR regulations. The ruling reinforces the importance of understanding and adhering to data protection laws when documenting and reporting perceived violations, even in cases involving public safety or traffic regulations.
