Court uphelds biggest GDPR fine in Latvia
The Riga Regional Court upheld the Data State Inspectorate’s (DVI) decision to impose a €1.2 million fine on the partially state-owned company SIA “Tet” for mishandling personal data related to the “Tet+” content streaming service.
The fine was imposed in connection with the processing of personal data, while providing the content streaming service “Tet+”. The Inspectorate received information from the State Police in August 2021 that underage personal data were used when signing contracts for electronic communication services with “Tet,” which were then passed on to an external debt collection company. Despite the contract not being electronically confirmed and signed by the client, “Tet” transferred the underage personal data, leading to the fine.
“Tet” appealed this decision to the Riga City Court, which rejected the company’s request to cancel the fine in late April last year. The company emphasized in a previous statement to the media that no losses were incurred by any “Tet+” clients, a fact also acknowledged by the Inspectorate. Furthermore, “Tet” highlighted its strict adherence to privacy requirements for personal data protection, continuously improving practices based on innovations, expert recommendations, and business development needs.
This fine is the largest imposed by the Inspectorate to date. The Riga Regional Court’s ruling is final and in effect.
