What began as a good-faith attempt to report a parking violation has ended with an expensive lesson in data protection. A man from Saxony who took a picture of an illegally parked vehicle must now pay around €700 in total, following a ruling by the Higher Regional Court of Dresden.
The sum includes €100 in damages and €627 in legal fees, according to the court decision. The reason: his photo captured not only the vehicle and licence plate but also the face of a passenger inside — a clear violation of the European Union’s strict data privacy rules.
A breach of the GDPR’s “data minimisation” rule
The court ruled that the man could have documented the parking violation without including identifiable personal information. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), individuals are required to process only as much personal data as absolutely necessary for the purpose at hand — a principle known as data minimisation.
By uploading the photo to the popular reporting platform weg.li, which automatically forwards complaints to local authorities, the man effectively shared personal data without consent.
The unintentional privacy breach
Months passed before the affected individual discovered that a picture containing their likeness had been shared and stored. The court found that this caused a non-material form of harm, warranting compensation.
The judges also emphasised that the violation was preventable. The reporter could have framed the shot differently or blurred the passenger’s face before submission.
Legal obligation to erase all photo copies
The court’s ruling goes beyond compensation: the man must now delete the photograph from all devices and backups, ensuring no trace remains. This requirement includes copies stored in cloud accounts or local archives.
The decision reinforces how seriously German courts interpret privacy protections under the GDPR — even in cases involving seemingly minor offences.
Implications for digital citizen reporting
The case underscores a growing challenge for civic reporting tools in Germany. Platforms that encourage citizens to submit evidence of rule-breaking — from traffic violations to illegal dumping — operate in a complex legal space where public interest meets personal data rights.
Experts say the decision serves as a reminder that taking justice into one’s own hands, even digitally, carries risks. Without careful handling of personal information, well-intentioned reports can quickly backfire.
GDPR, parking report, photo privacy, Dresden court, data minimisation
