VIENNA: Austria’s data protection authority has ordered YouTube to comply with European Union regulations regarding user data access requests.
The authority confirmed it demanded YouTube respond to user requests for access to personal data held by the platform.
This decision follows a 2019 complaint filed by Austrian privacy campaign group Noyb against eight streaming services including YouTube and Netflix.
Noyb accused these services of “structural violations” of EU data protection regulations through their data handling practices.
The complaint against YouTube was specifically filed on behalf of an Austrian user with the country’s Data Protection Authority.
The regulator stated it has “issued a decision... against Google LLC (YouTube)” regarding the suit brought by Noyb.
Noyb argued these services violated the General Data Protection Regulation by denying users access to stored data and information about its usage.
Google, which owns YouTube, “now has four weeks to comply with the decision but also has the option to appeal it”, according to Noyb’s statement.
Noyb described the authority’s decision as a “win” but expressed disappointment over the “five and a half years” taken by the regulator.
“Making an access request should enable (users) to exercise... rights, such as the right to erasure or rectification” of their data, the group stated.
The organisation noted that regulatory delays make exercising these rights “becomes impossible” for users.
Google did not immediately responded to a request for comment from AFP.
Noyb has initiated numerous legal cases against US technology giants including Meta and Google for GDPR violations.
The privacy group has filed more than 800 complaints across various jurisdictions on behalf of internet users worldwide. – AFP
