The number of data breach notifications increased in 2024 to an average of 363 per day, versus 335 per day the year prior, an increase of 8.3%.
As before, it is the big tech companies and social media giants that are the ones that have been primarily hit by fines. The largest fines in 2024 were issued by the Irish GDPR regulator and targeted LinkedIn (€310 million) and Meta (€251 million).
“It is clear that GDPR oversight continues to evolve and adapt. We are seeing increased oversight in sectors beyond large technology and social media companies. For example, a focus on governance and oversight has led the Dutch Data Protection Authority to investigate whether individuals in the management team of Clearview AI can be held personally liable for GDPR violations, following a fine of €30.5 million against the company,” said Gustav Lundin, partner at DLA Piper in Sweden.