The 2019 annual report published by the Data Protection Authority in Hamburg, Germany revealed on Thursday that Facebook inc.’s German unit has been fined €51,000 (approx. £42k) for not properly nominating a data protection officer for their German office.
The Authority issued the fine along with a warning to other companies that “naming a data protection officer and telling the regulator about it are duties”, which the data protection authority takes seriously, confirming that even smaller violations like these can lead to substantial penalties.
The fine could have been much higher, but Facebook’s “careful and professional handling” of the violation has helped avoid a bigger fine as they immediately addressed the violation.