Personal Data Authority received nearly 10,000 complaints about GDPR violations

The number of privacy complaints filed since the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force is high. Nearly ten thousand people have filed a complaint with the Personal Data Authority (AP). The regulator reports this today in an extensive report on the first few months of GDPR.

The Privacy Directive has been in force since 25 May and regulates how companies should handle their customers’ data. The guidelines also make it possible for everyone, in the event of a suspicion that a company is acting in breach of the rules, to file a complaint with the AP. Over the past six months, 22,679 people and organisations have contacted them. Of these, 9,661 filed a complaint.

Privacy rights first

Most of the complaints that have been filed are about privacy rights. It concerns 32 percent of the complaints. These focus on the right of access and the deletion of information. Furthermore, 15% of the complaints concern companies that unnecessarily request data. Think of a spectacle store that wants to have someone’s BSN number, when that is not really necessary. Twelve percent of the complaints concern organisations that pass on data to third parties.

The Dutch Data Protection Authority reports that 41 percent of the complaints were directed against business service providers. These include the retail trade, but also utilities. This is followed by the IT sector (12 percent) and the government (10 percent).

In a statement, Aleid Wolfsen, chairman of the AP, states that he finds it encouraging that people are so actively involved in their privacy rights. People no longer leave it at that and, as far as Wolfsen is concerned, they send out a good signal to companies. Privacy is therefore becoming more and more important to people, and consequently to companies as well.

There are currently eleven ongoing investigations into GDPR violations by companies. Finally, the AP reports that 56% of the complaints were settled and closed.