Germany: Dismissed action by LG Traunstein on alleged violations of the GDPR including data processing and transfer to the USA by the operator of a social network

On 8 July 2024, the LG Traunstein court published a final judgment in case number 9 O 173/24, ruling on a lawsuit against a social network operator concerning allegations of GDPR violations related to data processing and international data transfers to the USA. The court found that extensive data protection requirements do not necessarily lead to violations of Articles 13 and 14 of the GDPR, and it confirmed that data transfer to the USA is permissible for the performance of the contract as stipulated in Article 6(1)(b) GDPR. The court dismissed the plaintiff's claims, noting insufficient evidence of illegal data transfers or violations of user rights. It ruled that users of a global social network must accept the operator's decisions regarding data processing locations and that the social network's privacy policy adequately informs users of data handling practices.