Fine in the amount of EUR 40 000 applied by Norwegian Data Protection Authority to Coop Finnmark SA, for unlawful distribution of a camera recording from a shop

The National Center for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP), for information and application purposes, communicates about the fine in the amount of EUR 40 000 applied by Norwegian Data Protection Authority to Coop Finnmark SA, for unlawful distribution of a camera recording from a shop.

After examining the case, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority found that the Coop Finnmark had no legal basis for the distribution of those video sequences. Bjørn Erik Thon, Director-General of the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, mentioned: “The requirement for a legal basis is a basic principle of the General Data Protection Regulation, and any violation of this principle is considered serious”.

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority finds that this case is so severe that a fine is the appropriate corrective measure. The Authority has given weight to the fact that the camera footage showed children, and that the distribution potentially entailed a major risk to their privacy. The fine amount was calculated on the basis of an overall assessment of the severity of the violation and the financial situation of the organization.

The NCPDP, as national supervisory authority for personal data processing, emphasizes the responsibility of personal data controllers to comply with the provisions of legal framework on personal data protection and to ensure that personal data processing operations are in accordance with the legislation in force.