Dutch Data Protection Authority Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) has imposed a fine of €525,000 ($636,000) on people-tracing service LocateFamily.com for publishing addresses and telephone numbers of people – sometimes without their knowledge – online.


Dutch Data Protection Authority Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) has imposed a fine of €525,000 ($636,000) on people-tracing service LocateFamily.com for publishing addresses and telephone numbers of people – sometimes without their knowledge – online.

It is difficult for them to have their data deleted, because LocateFamily.com of the US has no representative in the EU, a violation of privacy law and hence the fine, the DPA said.

The authority had also ordered the company to appoint a representative in the EU by  18 March, or pay €20,000 for every two weeks without one up to a maximum of €120,000.

Locatefamily.com has not yet confirmed to the DPA if it has appointed a representative in the EU, the authority said.

“AP has received dozens of complaints about LocateFamily.com,” it added. “This site contains full addresses and sometimes telephone numbers of people who do not know how their data ended up on the site … they have not registered themselves. This state of affairs has a major impact on people whose data appears on LocateFamily.com.”

The DPA’s vice-president Monique Verdier said: “It is unfortunate that a site publishes your name, telephone number and address without your knowledge. What is private must remain private.

“With this type of information, malicious parties can, for example, commit identity fraud. Or visit you at home or bother you by phone or email.”

She added: “If you want to share that information, you can. But you have to be able to choose for yourself. At LocateFamily.com many people do not get that choice.

“And if your address and telephone number do end up on such a site, you should at least be able to easily arrange for that information to be removed … That is not possible here.”

The authority says it has acted for people who wanted to have their personal data removed from the LocateFamily.com website and in most cases the company did so. About 700,000 Dutch people are listed on the site.

Given the company’s international nature, AP worked with nine other European privacy regulators and Canada’s in its investigation.

Delaware-based LocateFamily.com bills itself as helping people to find family, long-lost friends, old flames and neighbours for free.

 

 

Topics