What is the GDPR 4 penalty?
Asked by: Wendy Hettinger Jr. | Last update: February 8, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (54 votes)
The GDPR has two main penalty tiers: less severe violations can incur fines up to €10 million or 2% of global annual turnover, while more serious infringements (like breaches of core principles or data subject rights) can reach up to €20 million or 4% of the company's total worldwide annual turnover, whichever amount is higher, with the larger figure being the key part of the "GDPR 4 penalty". These severe penalties apply to fundamental breaches, such as those involving consent, data subject rights, or international data transfers, and aim to make non-compliance very costly.
What is the fine for GDPR 4?
For especially severe violations, listed in Art. 83(5) GDPR, the fine framework can be up to 20 million euros, or in the case of an undertaking, up to 4 % of their total global turnover of the preceding fiscal year, whichever is higher.
What is Section 4 of the GDPR?
processing of personal data which takes place in the context of the activities of a single establishment of a controller or processor in the Union but which substantially affects or is likely to substantially affect data subjects in more than one Member State.
What is the 4th principle of GDPR?
4. Accuracy principle. The accuracy principle requires you to take all reasonable steps to: ensure the personal data you hold or process is not incorrect or misleading.
Am I entitled to compensation for a GDPR breach?
The Court noted that Article 82 (1) of the GDPR provides that a person who has suffered material or non-material damage as a result of an infringement of the regulation shall have the right to receive compensation for the damage suffered.
GDPR: What are the Penalties?
How are GDPR fines calculated?
Two tiers of GDPR fines. The GDPR states explicitly that some violations are more severe than others. The less severe infringements could result in a fine of up to €10 million, or 2% of the firm's worldwide annual revenue from the preceding financial year, whichever amount is higher.
What is GDPR in simple terms?
In simple terms, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a strict EU law giving people more control over their personal data and requiring companies worldwide to handle it securely, transparently, and fairly, applying to any business that deals with data of EU residents. It emphasizes user rights like accessing, correcting, or deleting their info, mandates data protection by design, and enforces heavy fines for non-compliance.
What are the 4 characteristics of GDPR?
The GDPR enforces four important principles that organizations must adhere to when handling personal data: lawfulness, fairness, and transparency; purpose limitation; data minimization; and accuracy and storage limitation.
What constitutes a GDPR breach?
What is a personal data breach? A personal data breach means a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data. This includes breaches that are the result of both accidental and deliberate causes.
What is the Schedule 4 of the GDPR?
Schedule 4 – Lawfulness of processing recognised legitimate interests. This schedule inserts a new annex into the UK GDPR that sets out the conditions that an organisation needs to meet when relying on the new recognised legitimate interests lawful basis for processing.
Does GDPR apply to US citizens?
Yes, GDPR applies to U.S. citizens when they are physically located in the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) and their personal data is being collected or processed, regardless of their citizenship; it protects them as if they were EU residents in that context, covering tourists, students, or business travelers. Its scope is territorial and depends on location, not nationality, meaning a U.S. citizen in the U.S. has no GDPR protection, while an EU resident in the U.S. also doesn't get GDPR protection.
What is considered a person's personal data?
Personal data can cover various types of information, such as name, date of birth, email address, phone number, address, physical characteristics, or location data – once it is clear to whom that information relates, or it is reasonably possible to find out.
What are the consequences of non compliance?
Penalties, fees, or fines: Monetary penalties and fines are the most common consequences of non-compliance in business. Ceasing business operation: In extreme cases (often related to unsafe working conditions or violating environmental rules) your business could be forced to shut down some or all of its operations.
What is the largest GDPR fine ever?
1. Meta GDPR fine- €1.2 billion. In May 2023, in a groundbreaking decision in the past five years of GDPR enforcement, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) imposed a historic fine of €1.2 billion on US tech giant Meta.
How to avoid GDPR fines?
Checklist: How to avoid GDPR fines
Obtain freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent, and make it as easy to withdraw as to give. Collect and process data only for a defined, legitimate purpose. Collect and store only the minimum amount of data needed for the purpose.
What is article 4 of GDPR?
Personal data Information relating to an identified or identifiable living person Article 4(1): 'personal data' means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ('data subject'); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference ...
What are 10 examples of sensitive personal information?
Definition of Sensitive Personal Information
- Racial or ethnic origin.
- Political opinions.
- Religious or philosophical beliefs.
- Trade union membership.
- Genetic data.
- Biometric data.
- Health data.
- Sexual orientation or sex life.
What are the four rules of GDPR?
Lawfulness, fairness, and transparency; ▪ Purpose limitation; ▪ Data minimisation; ▪ Accuracy; ▪ Storage limitation; ▪ Integrity and confidentiality; and ▪ Accountability. These principles are found right at the outset of the GDPR, and inform and permeate all other provisions of that legislation.
What is GDPR now called?
Data protection legislation controls how your personal information is used by organisations, including businesses and government departments. In the UK, data protection is governed by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Is an email address personal data under GDPR?
A work email address is personal data under the UK GDPR if it can identify a specific individual. Generic addresses (such as info@company.co.uk) are less likely to be personal data, but this depends on context. If an email address is personal data, you must handle it in line with GDPR and PECR rules.
What is an example of GDPR?
For example, the telephone, credit card or personnel number of a person, account data, number plate, appearance, customer number or address are all personal data. Since the definition includes “any information,” one must assume that the term “personal data” should be as broadly interpreted as possible.
Who gets the money from GDPR fines?
Who gets the money from GDPR fines in the UK? All fines collected by the ICO go to HM Treasury's Consolidated Fund to be spent on health and social care, education, policing and justice, and the like. The money collected from the annual data protection fee that data controllers must pay is used to fund the ICO's work.
What is the penalty for data breach?
The penalties under the DPDPA have been elaborated below:
Breach by Data Fiduciary to take reasonable security safeguards to prevent personal data breach. Penalty: May extend to two hundred crore rupees.
How much money can you get for a GDPR breach?
The average compensation for breaching the Data Protection Act varies according to the specific circumstances of each case, but compensation amounts usually fall between £1,000 and £42,900, depending on the seriousness of the data breach.