Austrian Supreme Court: GDPR Lawsuits Can Be Filed Throughout EU

June 13, 2019

The Austrian Supreme Court has ruled that complaints concerning the EU General Data Protection Regulation can be brought anywhere in the EU. The decision overturned a ruling by a lower Austrian court which held that a privacy lawsuit against Facebook had to be brought in Ireland, where the company is headquartered. Initiated by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, the case alleges that Facebook failed to comply with the GDPR, relying on invalid privacy policies and unlawfully processing data. Schrems recently launched the civil society organization NOYB to pursue collective actions under the GDPR. EPIC is currently participating in DPC v. Facebook before the Court of Justice for the European Union. The European high court will consider whether the transfer of data to the U.S. using standard contract clauses violates fundamental rights. EPIC Senior Counsel Alan Butler will appear before the Court of Justice on July 9th.

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