Dutch authorities fined video streaming platform Netflix 4.75 million euros ($4.98 million) on Wednesday over its handling of its subscribers’ personal data.
“Between 2018 and 2020, Netflix did not provide sufficient information to customers about the use of their personal data. And the information provided by Netflix was sometimes unclear”the Dutch Data Protection Authority said in a statement.
Authorities noted, however, that Netflix has since updated its privacy statement and improved information for its subscribers regarding data use.
The organization launched its investigation five years ago and determined that Netflix did not clearly inform people about what the company did with private data, what data was shared with other organizations, why the data were shared, how long the data was stored and how the data was kept secure, the regulator said.
This information should have been included in the company’s privacy statement. The absence of such information constitutes a violation of European privacy rules under the General Data Protection Regulation.
More than 3 million Netflix subscriptions are currently held in the Netherlands, affecting around half of the country’s population. It is the most popular streaming service in the country, competing with Disney+, Videoland, HBO Max, Amazon Prime and Viaplay.
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