VG Hannover - 10 A 5144/23
German court upholds GDPR fine for excessive employee video surveillance.
A German court has upheld a Data Protection Authority's decision to fine a doner kebab production facility for extensive video surveillance of its employees. The court ruled that the surveillance lacked a legal basis under GDPR, violated principles of lawfulness and storage limitation, and that issuing both a reprimand and a fine did not constitute double punishment.
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The lesson from this incident
Full lessonA doner kebab production facility in Germany was fined after conducting extensive video surveillance of its employees without a valid legal basis under GDPR, violating the principles of lawfulness, fairness, and storage limitation. This case illustrates that employers cannot deploy broad surveillance measures simply for operational convenience — each processing activity must have a clearly defined, documented legal basis. The ruling also confirmed that regulators may issue both a reprimand and a financial penalty without constituting double punishment, reinforcing the cumulative enforcement powers available to Data Protection Authorities. Organizations that fail to align surveillance practices with GDPR requirements risk significant financial and reputational consequences.