Even before GDPR, many german lawyers sent out chargeable warning letters about small mistakes. With this law, the German federal government wants to protect small businesses and online shops in particular from high cost due to chargeable warning letters.
Websites suffered automatic crawling to find minimal errors in the imprint or data protection notices. Chargeable warning letters were sent by mail merge.
It is still possible to be warned of violations of the statutory labelling and information requirements, but there is no longer any right to reimbursement. The possibility of contractual penalties was also restricted. The sanctions for small companies in simple cases were capped at EUR 1000. If you receive an unjustified warning, now you can claim damages as high as the legal costs that the person who issued the warning has claimed.
What to do if you have received a data protection warning?
Do not act hastily and do not sign an injunction, even if the warning is justified by the GDPR. Consult with a lawyer.
It is even better if you don’t let it get that far. Get support from a certified GDPR consultant who will work with you to develop the data protection declaration, for your homepage.