Belgian DPA Issues its Largest Fine to Date for Non-Compliance with the Right to Be Forgotten
Time 1 Minute Read

On July 14, 2020, the Litigation Chamber of the Belgian Data Protection Authority (the “Belgian DPA”) imposed a €600,000 fine on Google Belgium SA (“Google”) for non-compliance with the right to be forgotten.

The Belgian DPA’s investigation was triggered by a complaint regarding Google’s refusal to dereference outdated articles relating to a public figure in Belgium. Following its investigation, the Belgian DPA found that Google had been negligent in refusing to honor the claimant’s request to remove links to outdated information regarding an unfounded harassment complaint, which could potentially have a significant impact on the concerned individual’s reputation. Furthermore, the Belgian DPA took the view that Google’s response to the dereferencing request, as well as its dereference request form do not meet the transparency requirements under the GDPR. In addition to imposing a fine, the Belgian DPA ordered Google to (1) remove links to the concerned pages from search results in the European Economic Area, and (2) revise its dereferencing request form to clarify which entity is the relevant data controller.

Read the press release and the decision (only available in French).

You May Also Be Interested In

Time 2 Minute Read

On March 5, 2026, the California Privacy Protection Agency announced that the agency had reached a settlement with Ford Motor Company resolving an enforcement action against the company that alleged noncompliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act’s opt-out of sale/sharing rights.

Time 2 Minute Read

On February 23, 2026, a Joint Statement on AI-Generated Imagery was published by 61 data protection authorities. The Joint Statement addresses concerns regarding AI systems capable of generating realistic images and videos depicting identifiable individuals without their knowledge or consent.

Time 2 Minute Read

On December 16, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced an enforcement action against Illusory Systems Inc., a Utah-based company doing business as Nomad, following a major data breach in which hackers stole $186 million from consumers.

Time 3 Minute Read

Indiana’s comprehensive consumer privacy law, the Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act, is set to take effect on January 1, 2026. In advance of the law’s effective date, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office has published a Consumer Bill of Rights that provides guidance to both consumers and businesses.

Search

Subscribe Arrow

Recent Posts

Categories

Tags

Archives

Jump to Page