Notebooksbilliger.de is the largest online E-commerce platform that deals in the retails of consumer electronics like providing different types of smartphones, notebooks etc. Its one of the largest retail chain committed to sell laptops and different types of IT tools.
Why Notebooksbilliger.de got Fined?
The Data Protection authority of Germany imposed a fine on Notebooksbilliger.de for General Data Protection Rules that amounted to $10.4 Million for violating its employees under the video surveillance for all the period of time for the past 2 years. At the time of investigation the fine represents that largest fines imposed for GDPR not only in Germany but in Europe as well. This must the took place at the employees work place like sales room, warehouse etc.
It didn’t had any restriction on certain area as well as the group of people. The main aspect of the Notebooksbilliger.de is to look after the important key measures as a whole. The main aspect of the company was not to disclose the video related to the privacy.
Investigating the case
The video observation not aimed at the employees of the Notebooksbilliger.de but also the customers. The cameras were put on the certain specific places where the customers would stay on that place for a long period of time. Through that one will get to know what exactly the employees as well as the customers are doing. The cameras installed at the different seating areas, and the areas tested on the different devices.
Moreover, in most of the cases recordings kept safely up to 60 days. Its regarded as the longer period of time under the Data Protection Law.
Lower Saxony Data Protection Authority
For the state of Germany i.e Lower Saxony The Lower Saxony Data Protection Authority (Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz Niedersachsen) is the Data Protection Authority developed. It is legislative in imposing General Data Protection Rules in the private sector within the German state of Lower Saxony. (Niedersächsisches Datenschutzgesetz) NSDG regarded as the procedural law in the Lower Saxony. The Lower Saxony DPA offers a form, but a complaint filed via Mail, E-Mail or Fax. The DPA also provides references for the complaint. The NSDG targets on the processing purposes as well as outlines the different type of requirements, exemptions etc.Germany has 16 DPA with the different jurisdictions.
Lower Saxony Data Protection Authority is one of the largest data protection authority in Germany.
The Data Protection Authority proposed the Notebooksbilliger.de shall have the knowledge about the video surveillance technology developed on the employees. To monitor by means of video cameras represents intrusion in the personal life of the employees. It is not sufficient that the preclusion that leads to the aftereffect of the cameras is not adequate for the ongoing infringement of the employees personal rights that are taking place. Therefore, it shall have accurate indication that is related to the commission of criminal offence. So, these different practice shall be for a limited period of time.
The Notebilliger.de Viewpoint
The main important reason that the Notebooksbilliger.de need to clarify was regarding the prevention and detection of the criminal activity. The company is disagreeing with the statement put by the authority on which penalized for GDPR. They actually had installed the cameras to keep the record as well as track the flow of goods at the time storage, sale and shipping of the products. In the shipping and logistics companies a superior quality developed. The company alleged the video recordings used to evaluate the performance of the employees in the company.
Conclusion
Lower Saxony The Lower Saxony Data Protection Authority has imposed a lot of GDPR to different countries. The MD of the Notebooksbilliger.de stated that, the company is very keen on the implementing the Data Protection in the company. The company had installed preventive theft measures to identify the theft in the country. They have also co-operated with the supervisory authority. So, the company is disagreeing with the statement alleged by the Authority.
