Recent GDPR fines against British Airways, Marriott, and Ticketmaster by the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office each saw the regulator dismiss claims by the companies that third parties were primarily responsible for the data breaches in question.
Data Privacy
Hanna Andersson agrees to pay $400K in CCPA-related breach lawsuit
Children’s clothing retailer Hanna Andersson has agreed to pay $400,000 in what is believed to be the first monetary settlement for a lawsuit related to the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Vodafone Italy fined $14.5M under GDPR for telemarketing tactics
The Italian arm of multinational telecommunications company Vodafone is facing a fine of more than €12.25 million (U.S. $14.5 million) under the General Data Protection Regulation for aggressive telemarketing practices.
WhatsApp Ireland reserves $91.8M for potential GDPR fine
The Irish arm of WhatsApp has set aside $91.8 million for possible administrative fines arising from long-standing investigations by Ireland’s data regulator into the way the messaging platform shares data with Facebook.
German court cuts 1 & 1 Telecom GDPR fine by 90 percent
Continuing a recent trend of massive fine reductions under the General Data Protection Regulation, 1 & 1 Telecom in Germany had its €9.55 million penalty issued last year reduced to €900,000 (U.S. $1.06 million) by a German court.
Ticketmaster UK fined $1.6M under GDPR for 2018 data breach
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office fined Ticketmaster £1.25 million (U.S. $1.6 million) for its failures relating to a 2018 data breach by a third party.
EDPB issues guidance for safe data transfers post-Privacy Shield
The European Data Protection Board has issued guidance to help companies transfer data to the United States and other third countries safely after Europe’s top court in July ruled key methods used up until then were either invalid or unsafe.
BA, Marriott fine reductions latest wrench in GDPR enforcement harmony
Lack of clarity on fines has dogged the GDPR since it took effect in May 2018, and the recent dramatic penalty reductions handed down by the U.K. in the cases of British Airways and Marriott certainly won’t help.
California voters approve creation of new state agency to enforce CCPA
California voters approved a ballot measure that will add new layers of responsibility for businesses attempting to comply with the state’s first-in-the-nation data privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act.
In second drastic reduction, ICO fines Marriott $23.8 million
The Marriott GDPR fine handed down by the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office is less than 20 percent of the original number the regulator proposed, the second time this month such a drastic reduction has taken place.


