Man Faces โฌ727.13 Billโ for Reporting Illegally Parked โฃCar Due to GDPR Violation
Dresden, Germany โ- โA man โfrom Saxony has been โขordered to pay โฌ727.13 โin damagesโค and legal fees after reporting a vehicle โขparked in violationโค of traffic regulations.The case, decided by theโข Higher Regional Court of Dresden, highlights the stringent requirements of the European Union’s General Dataโฃ Protection Regulation (GDPR) and serves asโค a warning against overzealous citizen reporting.
The incident stems from the man’s attempt to report an illegally parkedโฃ car via the โonline platform “weg.li.” While hisโ intention was โto alert authorities to a traffic infraction, the โphotograph he submitted included aโข clearly identifiable image of theโฃ vehicle’s passenger, triggering โคa GDPR violation. The court’s ruling underscores thatโ even well-intentioned actions can carry significant legal consequences when personal data isโฃ processed inappropriately. This case impacts anyone who documents potential wrongdoing and shares it with authorities orโฃ online platforms, emphasizing the need โฃto prioritize data privacy.
The manโ had photographed the offending vehicle and โuploaded the image to “weg.li,”โข which โขthen forwarded the information to the relevant authorities. Though, the photograph inadvertently captured the face of a passenger โinside the car. The court resolute this constituted a breach of the GDPR, specifically theโฃ principle โof data minimization.
Judges criticized the man for failing to submit a photograph thatโ omitted recognizable individuals. They asserted that reporting the infraction did not necessitate including personally identifiableโ information.The GDPR’s principle of data minimization dictates that โonly the minimum amount of personal data necessary to achieve a specific purpose should be collected and processed.
Theโฃ passenger, unaware of โขwhere the photograph had been stored for months, โwas โขdeemed to have suffered an immaterialโค injury requiring compensation. The court ordered the man to pay โฌ100 inโค damages to โthe passenger and โฌ627.13 โto cover โassociated legal costs.
Furthermore, the court โคmandated the complete deletionโฃ of the photograph, โคincluding all backups and copies, to ensure fullโ compliance with GDPR regulations. The โruling reinforces the importance of understanding and adhering to data โprotection laws when documenting and โreporting perceived violations, even in cases involving public safety or traffic regulations.
