The Spanish DPA fined Securitas Direct EUR 100 000 for making the exercise of data subject rights more difficult by directing individuals to a chargeable telephone number
Spain's data protection authority fined Securitas Direct €100,000 after finding the security company routed people trying to exercise their data rights to a premium-rate phone number. The case was triggered by a consumer association complaint about video surveillance notices that made access and objection requests costly.
Why this matters: This is simple: if you make it expensive or difficult for people to exercise their legal rights, that is not a paperwork problem — it is a violation. Securitas Direct used a chargeable number as friction. People who wanted to know what data was held on them, or who wanted to object to its use, had to pay for the privilege. Companies should not be able to charge their way around privacy rights. The fine is modest, but the principle matters: access rights mean nothing if the door costs money to open.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · AI governance · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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