From using a residential proxy for surfing the web to encrypting information online, there are many ways that data can be harnessed. Unfortunately, this can lead to people taking advantage of what is possible when it comes to technology. As a result, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced in 2018 to protect our data and privacy.
Even the most well-respected brands have been caught breaking regulations, and with over €3 billion being handed out in fines for business-related GDPR breaches in the last five years, it is costing businesses a lot of money.
In order to find out who the biggest contributors are when it comes to data breaches, we have put together a report which delves into everything GDPR-related.
Spain is revealed as the country issuing out the most GDPR fines - totaling 651
From company oversights to external security offenses, GDPR breaches can come in many different forms, but which countries have been handing out the most GDPR fines?
1. Spain - 651 GDPR fines
Towering above every other country in our list, with a total of 651 GDPR fines, is Spain. This country has recently hit the headlines after the Spanish data protection authority issued a $10.7 million fine to Google LLC for unlawfully disclosing information to another company.
2. Italy - 265 GDPR fines
Next on our list of the countries that have issued the most GDPR fines is Italy. Of the 265 fines that have been handed out by this country, 15 of these have resulted in a cost of more than $1 million for the businesses under fire.
3. Germany - 148 GDPR fines
With 148 GDPR fines issued since the implementation of the data protection act, the top three is completed by Germany. Even though the fines handed out by this country are of a smaller price compared to the other entries in our top three, it is clear that the German data protection authority is not afraid to call out businesses for breaking GDPR regulations.
Ireland is handing out GDPR fines at an average price of $111.9 million - higher than any other country
Over the years there have been thousands of GDPR fines issued which vary from a few cents to billions of dollars. Below is a list of the countries with the highest average GDPR fines.
1. Ireland - $111.9 million (£91 million | €104.6 million)
With an average fine of $111.9 million (£91 million | €104.6 million), Ireland is issuing the biggest fines when it comes to GDPR breaches. Ireland has been in a GDPR battle with Meta Platforms over the last few years, tallying up numerous multi-million dollar fines against the company since the regulations were introduced - this has no doubt contributed to Ireland’s top-place ranking on our list.
2. Luxembourg - $25.8 million (£20.9 million | €24.1 million)
Luxembourg takes the second spot in our list of the countries handing out the largest GDPR fines - averaging $25.8 million (£20.9 million | €24.1 million) per fine. This country may not have featured in the earlier list of countries with the most GDPR fines, but it seems that they are not afraid to go after the big cases.
3. France - $9.1 million (£7.4 million | €8.5 million)
The third and final entry in our top three list of the countries with the highest average cost per fine is France. From $3,000 to $96 million, France has been involved in a wide range of GDPR regulation cases over the years which has resulted in an average cost per fine of $9.1 million (£7.4 million | €8.5 million).
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Meta Platforms Ireland Limited has been issued with the biggest GDPR fine to date - totaling $1.28 billion
The sum of GDPR fines reached a total of over $2.9 billion in February of this year, but which companies are responsible for the biggest individual breaches? Here’s what we found.
1. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited - $1.28 billion (£1.04 billion | €1.2 billion)
In May of this year, Ireland called out the technology giant, Meta, concerning a violation of personal data which was stolen from a large number of European Facebook users. As a result, the company was issued with a fine of over $1.28 billion (£1.04 billion | €1.2 billion) - big enough to make anyone think twice before breaching GDPR regulations.
2. Amazon Europe Core S.à.r.l. - $798.3 million (£649 million | €746 million)
Back in 2021, Luxembourg imposed a fine of $798.3 million (£649 million | €746 million) on Amazon Europe Core S.à.r.l - the second largest GDPR fine to date. This was as a result of failing to obtain the necessary consent in line with GDPR regulations and they certainly paid the price for it.
3. Meta Platforms, Inc. - $433.4 million (£352.4 million | €405 million)
Making its second appearance on our list of the biggest individual fines per controller/processor is Meta Platforms. This $433.4 million (£352.4 million | €405 million) fine was issued as the company was found to be mishandling teenagers’ data on Instagram - an issue that is held in high regard by GDPR.
The most common type of GDPR data breach is an ‘insufficient legal basis for data processing’ - totaling 541 cases
Most GDPR cases fall under one of a few categories, with some types of data breach cropping up more often than others. Below is a list of the most common types of GDPR breaches based on the number of individual cases per type.
1. Insufficient legal basis for data processing - 541 breaches
With a total of 541 cases, the most common type of data breach is the insufficient legal basis for data processing. One example of this type of GDPR breach in the real world is when companies obtain users’ data to create targeted advertising without their consent.
2. Non-compliance with general data processing principles - 425 breaches
By not complying with general data processing principles, you open your company up to potential exposure and this has led to the leaking of sensitive information. Unfortunately, this lack of safety has been the topic of 425 cases which is the second-highest type of data breach on our list.
3. Insufficient technical and organizational measures to ensure information security - 318 breaches
In order to protect your company’s data from being accidentally lost or destroyed, there are technical and organizational measures that must be put in place. Technical measures include things such as cybersecurity and passwords, whilst organizational measures are related to policies and risk assessments. Of all the types of data breaches, insufficient technical and organizational measures have led to 318 separate cases which is the third-highest in our list.
Methodology
We used Enforcement Tracker to list every GDPR breach between 2018-2023, noting the following information: country, the total cost of the fine, the type of fine, and the controller/processor of each breach. This data was collected on 24/05/2023. Note that any data which was incomplete in terms of the fine amount were removed from the list.
We added together every fine from each country to find the GDPR fine total for each country in the list.
To calculate the average cost per fine we divided the fine total by the number of fines in each country.
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