Austria’s data protection authority said on Friday that it has ordered YouTube to comply with EU regulations and respond to requests by users for access to data that it holds on them.
In 2019, the Austria-based privacy group Noyb (None of Your Business) filed complaints against eight streaming services, including YouTube and Netflix, alleging “structural violations” of EU data rules.
The complaint against YouTube was filed on behalf of an Austrian user with the country’s Data Protection Authority.
The regulator confirmed on Friday that it had “issued a decision… against Google LLC (YouTube)” regarding the suit brought by Noyb.
In their complaints, Noyb argued that the services breached the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by denying users access to their stored data and information on its use.
Google, which owns YouTube, “now has four weeks to comply with the decision but also has the option to appeal it”, the NGO said in a statement Friday.
Noyb has taken legal action against U.S. tech giants, including Meta and Google, often prompting regulators to enforce GDPR compliance. It has filed more than 800 complaints in various jurisdictions on behalf of internet users.
