Published on: December 20, 2024
Netflix is facing a €4.75 million fine for failing to tell users what it was doing with their data between 2018 and 2020.
Its failure to inform customers on exactly what data it was collecting and what it was being used for was equivalent to spying. It collected a large range of customer data, including payment information, phone numbers, watch history, and the times customers used Netflix.
While collecting a vast amount of personal information, Netflix never provided a clear explanation of what it was used for, who it was shared with, or why. It also never outlined how long data was retained or how it was kept safe while being shared internationally.
These problems fall under Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires you to give clear explanations of data usage. Following a lengthy investigation, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) decided to impose a large fine.
This issue was first reported five years ago by the Austrian data privacy NGO noyb. The organization made complaints about Netflix’s data handling policies, and because Netflix’s European organization is based in the Netherlands, the DPA was responsible for investigating.
Despite slapping Netflix with a large fine, there is room for criticism of how the DPA handled it.
“We are happy with the DPA’s decision to issue a fine against Netflix. However, it took almost five years to obtain it, and in a very simple case,” said Stefano Rossetti, a data protection lawyer with noyb.
It’s worth noting that Netflix was not the only company that faced large fines this year. Earlier the DPA imposed hefty punishments on both Uber Technologies and Meta Platforms for violating similar data usage laws.
Netflix has since changed its data policies and provides a clearer explanation of what it does with customer info.