Amazon appeals record €746m fine for EU data law breach
Amazon has officially appealed a record €746m fine from the European Union’s privacy watchdog for breaching the bloc’s data protection rules.
The appeal, which was filed today at the Luxembourg Administrative Tribunal, is for the collection and use of individuals’ personal data, which violated General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR law.
The retail and technology giant says it collects data to improve the customer experience and sets guidelines which determine what employees are able to do with it.
EU data protection regulatory powers have been extended since the bloc’s GDPR rules took effect in May 2018, which the watchdogs now to issue charges of as much as four per cent of a company’s annual global sales.
It is not the first time Amazon has battled hefty fines.
The charge, dished out in June, came only hours after the UK’s competition watchdog said it was looking into how Amazon uses data collected on its platform and how the global tech giant decides which merchants appear in its “buy box”.
While it also most recently follows an employment case which could cost Amazon £100m, according to reports. As multiple self-employed Amazon delivery drivers seek employment rights from the digital giant.