Iceland

City of Hafnarfjörður

18,600 €

GDPR enforcement action by Icelandic data protection authority ('Persónuvernd') on 2023-12-06.

Rank · Sector

#140

of 396 in Public Sector and Education

Rank · Iceland

#13

of 22

Rank · All fines

#1,203

of 3,275

Case details

Authority: Icelandic data protection authority ('Persónuvernd')
Date: 2023-12-06
Controller / Processor: City of Hafnarfjörður
Sector: Public Sector and Education
Quoted Articles: Art. 5 (1) GDPR, Art. 24 (1) GDPR, Art. 28 GDPR
Type of violation: Non-compliance with general data processing principles

Summary

The Icelandic DPA has imposed a fine of EUR 18,600 on the city of Hafnarfjörður. The city had used the Google Education system without sufficiently complying with data protection regulations.

In particular, the city did not fulfill its obligations when selecting Google as a processor and the processing agreement with Google did not comply with data protection requirements.

Furthermore, the city did not ensure that the student data was not processed for purposes other than those specified by the city. Furthermore, the retention period was not considered appropriate but rather too extensive.

In imposing the fine, particular consideration was given to the protection of sensitive children's data. Although no demonstrable damage had occurred, it was criticized that the city had not sufficiently ensured the secure transfer of data to the US in the past. However, the city cooperated transparently with the data protection authority and revised its data protection practices.

--Update--
The Icelandic DPA withdrew its fine against Hafnarfjarðarbær by decision of 19 March 2026. It acted after Supreme Court judgment 18/2024 of 9 December 2024 on equal treatment. The fine paid is to be repaid.