The Supreme Administrative Court has annulled the decision given by the administrative court on November 11, 2021, and has confirmed the €100,000 penalty issued to Posti by the data protection authority on May 18, 2020.
The Supreme Administrative Court stated that based on the data protection regulation, Posti had not practiced enough transparency and activity in informing users of the address notification service about disclosing of their personal data to third parties, or about the possibility to prohibit the disclosure. According to the Supreme Administrative Court, the large number of users in Posti’s address notification service also affected the matter. The court also stated that users of the address notification service did not experience concrete financial harm, nor did Posti try to gain financial benefit.
Posti has already taken initiative to fix its practices.
Updating address information makes delivering items smoother
Finns make approximately a million house moves each year. Correct and up-to-date address information is critical for the smooth delivery of mail following the move. The person moving houses must submit a change of address notification so that items can be directed to the new address.
The new address information is updated via the change of address notification service to other service providers, such as insurance companies or trade unions. The customer has the option to prohibit the update. If the person moving house wants to prohibit their personal data from being disclosed, they must personally contact the various service providers to notify them of the new address.
Updating the address register information of persons changing their address is an important way to support not only the mail recipient, but also senders and smooth mail delivery to the person’s new address. Updating the person’s address information is conducted in compliance with the Postal Act.
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