The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled EU consumer advocacy groups may file lawsuits over alleged EU General Data Protection Regulation violations where national law permits it. The ruling means consumer groups can file representative actions on behalf of consumers without an individual or group of consumers raising them.
The decision stems from a case brought by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations against Facebook Ireland related to the company's data processing disclosures.
A statement in the course press release said, “By today’s judgment, the Court finds that the GDPR does not preclude national legislation which allows a consumer protection association to bring legal proceedings, in the absence of a mandate conferred on it for that purpose and independently of the infringement of specific rights of the data subjects, against the person allegedly responsible for an infringement of the laws protecting personal data, on the basis of the infringement of the prohibition of unfair commercial practices, a breach of a consumer protection law or the prohibition of the use of invalid general terms and conditions, where the data processing concerned is liable to affect the rights that identified or identifiable natural persons derive from that regulation.”
Read the Court of Justice of the European Union PRESS RELEASE No 68/22.
UPDATE: 240522 - The IAPP report on the CJEU's ruling confirming consumer groups have a right to file representative actions over alleged EU General Data Protection Regulation violations.
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