The number of privacy complaints continues to rise sharply. More than 15,000 people filed a complaint with the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) in the first six months of this year. This is almost 60% more than in the second half of 2018. One explanation for this is that the ability to file privacy complaints is new in the Netherlands and is becoming more familiar. Another likely factor is that the Netherlands is a highly digitized country. People are concerned about their privacy and complain about a violation of their privacy rights. They get stuck, for example, when requesting inspection or deletion of their data. This is especially prevalent among business service providers, such as energy suppliers and retail.
Chairman Aleid Wolfsen: "The increase is enormous. Every complaint obviously deserves the best appropriate treatment. We are working hard on that. But there is a limit to what is realistic with a limited number of employees. We need a structural solution, so that we can continue to handle the complaints adequately. We are in talks with JenV about that. The protection of your privacy is a fundamental right, it should never become a wash."
With the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG), people's privacy rights have been strengthened: anyone can file a privacy complaint with the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) since May 25, 2018. This is possible if someone suspects that his/her personal data has been processed in a way that violates the privacy law. The second semi-annual report provides insight into the complaints the AP received in 2019 and how the complaints were handled.
15,313 people filed a privacy complaint with the AP in the first six months of 2019. This is a 59% increase from the last six months of 2018. The number of international complaints also increased sharply. One explanation for the large number of complaints is that the possibility to file privacy complaints is new in the Netherlands and is becoming more familiar. Another likely factor is that the Netherlands is a highly digitized country.
The AP completed over 10,000 complaints in the first half of 2019. Many telephone complaints could be dealt with immediately to satisfaction. Written complaints were resolved by taking action against a violation by sending a letter explaining standards, mediating or conducting a standards-setting conversation (16%). In many other cases (29%), AP staff have helped people on their way to file their own complaint with the organization about which the complaint is made. There are 68 ongoing investigations following a multitude of complaints (2018: 20).
The number of complaints coming in is greater than the AP can handle with its current investigative capacity. As a result, a backlog of complaints has developed over the months. In order to adequately handle this increasing volume of complaints and the increased work backlog, a solution is needed. The AP is in discussions with JenV about this.
Most complaints (32%) are about a violation of a privacy right, such as the right to access and the right to delete. For example, people do not get full access or no access to their data when they ask for it, or experience barriers when they want personal data deleted.
People also often complain (13%) about organizations passing personal data on to third parties when they do not know or want this. For example, they receive calls from unknown companies for direct marketing purposes.
Business service providers (46%), government (14%) and the IT sector (13%) are the sectors about which the AP receives the most complaints. Among business service providers, such as energy suppliers and the retail sector, the complaints mostly concern people's privacy rights and direct marketing. In the government sector, it is the lawfulness of data processing that comes up the most. What is striking is that many complaints within the social domain are about the transfer of personal data to third parties.
View: complaints report: facts & figures
This news item can also be found in the AVG file
