Luxembourg Data Protection Authority (CNPD) Amazon fined for stratospheric figure of €746 million for violating the European General Data Protection Regulation in relation to the processing of personal data.

The Luxembourg data protection authority made the decision to fine Amazon on July 16, but it has not yet made any official statement. The news has already been reported Bloomberg The contact has not yet reached the French Association for the Rights of Digital Privacy La Quadrature du Net In 2018, he raised the accusation against Amazon which in recent days ended with a fine.

746 million euros fine from an investigation that began in 2018

The facts go back to 2018, when Quadrature du Net revealed a data processing violation by Amazon as set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into effect in May of the same year.

The association opposes Amazon’s use and collection of users’ personal data in order to display ads based on their interests. Quadrature du Net argued that Amazon could be the controller of processes such as behavioral analysis and ad targetingIts purpose is to allow ads to be shown to the most receptive users.

According to Quadrature du Net, this behavioral analysis and ad targeting processing Can not be based on the need to conclude a contract with users. In 2018, Luxembourg’s guarantor CNPD then asked to open an investigation – because Amazon has its EU-registered office in Luxembourg – resulting in a fine of €746 million.

Amazon: “The decision is baseless”

Unless there is an official statement from the CNPD, the violations of Amazon’s GDPR that led to the fine cannot be determined.

However, Amazon said in a statement reported by Bloomberg that the CNPD’s decision is “without foundation“, Is that “There was no data breach, and customer data was not disclosed to third parties. These facts are indisputable. We strongly oppose the CNPD ruling.“

To date, the largest fine issued for violating the European General Data Protection Regulation was that of €50 million imposed on Google in January 2019 for collecting users’ personal data.