Austrian Authority Orders YouTube To Grant Users Access To Their Data

Austria’s data protection authority has ordered YouTube to follow European Union regulations regarding users’ requests for access to their personal data, according to an AFP report. The order enforces the data access rules contained in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The decision stems from a 2019 complaint filed by the privacy campaign group Noyb against eight streaming companies, which also included Netflix, Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify. Noyb had accused these streaming service companies of not fully following with GDPR data access request.

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The GDPR gives individuals the right to request and obtain a copy of their personal data. However, the privacy group discovered that YouTube provided an incomplete response to their data request, failing to supply all the required information.

Even though the privacy watchdog sees the recent ruling as a victory, their press release highlighted the fact that it took the Austrian authority five and a half years to enforce a decision in what they described as a very simple case.

Noyb has registered several cases against Google, YouTube’s parent company, and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, often prompting regulatory authorities to take action over violations of the GDPR. It has lodged more than 800 complaints in various jurisdictions on behalf of internet users, AFP reported.

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However, Google did not provide an immediate comment on the case.