German DPA fines company 10.4 million euros for monitoring employees without legal basis
The State Commissioner for Data Protection (LfD) Lower Saxony has imposed a fine of 10.4 million euros on notebooksbilliger.de AG. The company had video-monitored its employees for at least two years without any legal basis.
The illegal cameras recorded workplaces, sales rooms, warehouses and common areas, among other things. The company claimed that the aim of the installed video cameras was to prevent and investigate criminal offenses and to track the flow of goods in the warehouses. In order to prevent theft, a company must first examine milder means (e.g. random bag checks when leaving the business premises). Video surveillance to uncover criminal offenses is also only lawful if there is justified suspicion against specific persons.
