Complaints and claims for violations of data protection regulations increase by 84.6% since 2022

The Catalan Data Protection Authority (APDCAT) has experienced an exponential increase in complaints and claims received in recent years, especially since 2022. Specifically, this increase has been 84.6% and is related to the growing public awareness regarding the knowledge of rights and obligations related to privacy protection, thanks to awareness campaigns carried out.

In particular, in 2024, the APDCAT received a total of 1,139 complaints and claims, 35% more than the previous year. Of these, the APDCAT investigated and processed 639 (407 complaints and 232 right protection claims), as the rest fell outside its jurisdiction and were duly referred to the competent authority.

Regarding complaints, those specifically investigated by the APDCAT reached 407, representing a 39% increase compared to 2023. Complaints relate to incidents considered to violate data protection regulations.

As for the right protection claims processed, they were 55% higher than the previous year. These refer to claims from individuals who wish to exercise their data protection rights (access, rectification, etc.) with the entities processing their data but do not receive a response or do not receive one within the required timeframe.

23% More Cases Resolved

On the other hand, the number of resolutions issued by the APDCAT in 2024 was 23% higher than in 2023 (443 in 2024, compared to 361 in 2023). These include resolutions related to right protection procedures (186), closed sanctioning procedures (112), complaint file closure resolutions (135), complaint file closure resolutions with referral to other authorities (6), and inadmissibility resolutions with referral in right protection procedures (4).

Additionally, the number of sanctioning procedures initiated in 2024 (115) was significantly higher than the previous year (82).