Twitter has been fined EUR 450,000 by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) for a breach of the EU's GDPR regulations. The Irish privacy watchdog is in charge of monitoring Twitter's operations across the EU.
The investigation by the DPC was launched in January 2019 after receiving a notification from Twitter about the breach. The fine was imposed for failing to notify the breach on time to the DPC and for failing to adequately document the breach.
In a statement, Twitter said it was too late reporting the breach within the 72 hours required due to staff shortages over the Christmas and New Year's holidays in late 2018 when the breach was discovered. The company said it takes "full responsibility for this mistake" and is "sorry it happened". The company has made changes to its operations to ensure the same mistake does not happen again.
A decision in the case was delayed earlier this year after regulators in other EU countries disagreed with the Irish DPC's proposal issued in May. A dispute resolution process was started, a first under the GDPR, in order to come to an agreement.
Twitter said it appreciated the clarity the decision brings around the GDPR’s breach notification requirements.
