How has GDPR enforcement played out in the past year?
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteitpersoonsgegevens, or AP) recently published a report on its 2018 activities.
The report highlights the growth of GDPR enforcement actions:
- 27,000 people contacted the AP by telephone about the Privacy Act (2017: 9,500).
- AP received more than 11,000 complaints.
- AP handled 720 complaints and 298 data breach reports through an intervention such as sending a letter with an explanation of standards to an organization or having a discussion about standards.
- AP completed 16 investigations and started 17 enforcement processes in 2018. These have led to sanctions.
- AP received 781 international cases, such as complaints, data breaches and ex officio cross-border investigations originating from the Netherlands and other European regulators.