🇱🇹 Vinted Faces Major Fine
Vinted, a well-known platform for selling second-hand clothes, has been fined over $2.6M by the Lithuanian State Data Protection Inspectorate. The penalty was imposed on July 2, 2024, following complaints from users across Europe, including Poland, regarding violations of their GDPR rights. Users claimed that Vinted failed to honor their rights to be forgotten and access their data.
🌍 Complaints Across Europe
The complaints leading to the fine came from users in multiple European countries. Polish users were among those who reported issues. They complained that while registering on the platform was easy, withdrawing funds required numerous personal details, including a scan of their ID, making the process cumbersome and potentially unsafe.
🛡️ Vinted's Response
Vinted responded to Business Insider with a statement denying the connection of the fine to account security or improper use of personal data. They emphasized, "The cases referred to by the Lithuanian Data Protection Authority (VDAI) are not related to the security of our members' accounts." Vinted also mentioned that the fine was not related to their identity verification practices.
🚨 GDPR and Data Privacy
The Lithuanian data protection authority found that Vinted did not adequately explain the purposes for processing users' data and engaged in "shadow blocking," continuing to process data without users' knowledge. Vinted plans to appeal the decision, arguing that it sets a precedent beyond current law and industry best practices. The company stresses its commitment to privacy and GDPR compliance.
Do you think Vinted's fine is justified?
