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Contributed by Porobija & Porobija
Last updated June 2026
General | Data Protection Laws
National Legislation
National Supervisory Authority
Scope of Application
Personal Data
Sensitive Personal Data
Data Protection Officers
Accountability and Privacy Impact Assessments
Rights of Data Subjects
Security
Transfer of Personal Data to Third Countries
Enforcement
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General data protection laws
The General Data Protection Regulation (EU) (2016/679) (“GDPR”).
The EU is currently considering the Digital Omnibus (2025/0360 (COD)). This proposes a number of amendments to the GDPR including: (a) protection from abusive subject access requests; (b) extending the deadline to notify breaches to a supervisory authority to 96 hours and only applying that notification to high risk breaches; (c) codifying the “relative” approach to the concept of personal data; (d) ensuring a consistent approach to DPIAs; and (e) providing an express legal basis for the training of AI systems. However, some changes are controversial, and it is not clear if they will all be adopted.
The Act on Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (Official Gazette no. 42/2018) (“AIGDPR”). The AIGDPR also applies as of 25 May 2018.
Entry into force
The GDPR has applied since 25 May 2018.
Details of the competent national supervisory authority
Agencija za zaštitu osobnih podataka (Personal Data Protection Agency) (the “Agency”)
Ulica Metela Ožegovića 16
HR - 10 000 Zagreb
Mr. Zdravko Vukić, Director of Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency represents Croatia on the European Data Protection Board.
Notification or registration scheme and timing
There is no obligation to notify regulators of any processing under the GDPR. However, controllers and processors must keep a record of their processing and make it available to their supervisory authority on request (subject to limited exemptions).
Exemptions to notification
Not applicable.
What is the territorial scope of application?
The GDPR applies to the processing of personal data in the context of the establishment of a controller or processor in the EU.
It also contains express extra-territorial provisions and applies to controllers or processors based outside the EU that: (i) offer goods or services to individuals in the EU; or (ii) monitor individuals within the EU. Controllers and processors caught by these provisions will need to appoint a representative in the EU, subject to certain limited exemptions.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on the territorial scope of the GDPR (3/2018).
Is there a concept of a controller and processor?
Yes. The GDPR contains the concept of a controller, who determines the purpose and means of processing, and a processor, who just processes personal data on behalf of the controller.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on the concepts of controller and processor in the GDPR (7/2020).
Both controllers and processors are subject to the rules in the GDPR, but the obligations placed on processors are more limited.
Are both manual and electronic records subject to data protection legislation?
Yes. The GDPR applies to both electronic records and structured hard copy records.
Are there any national derogations?
The GDPR does not apply to law enforcement activities which are instead subject to the Law Enforcement Directive. The GDPR also does not apply to areas of law that are outside the scope of Union law, such as national security, and does not apply to purely personal or household activity.
The AIGDPR contains a derogation for the processing of personal data by the competent authorities in relation to the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or enforcement of criminal sanctions, including protection from threats to public security and their prevention, as well as in the area of national security and defence.
What is personal data?
Personal data is information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
This is a broad term and includes a wide range of information. The GDPR expressly states it includes online identifiers such as cookies. This concept has been considered by the CJEU on multiple occasions. This includes deciding that information will not be personal data where the risk of identification appears in reality to be insignificant (OC v Commission, C 479/22 P) and that a “relative” approach should be taken to identification by considering the means reasonably available to the person holding the information (EDPS v SRB, C-413/23 P).
Is information about legal entities personal data?
No. However, information about sole traders and partnerships is likely to be personal data.
What are the rules for processing personal data?
All processing of personal data must comply with all six general data quality principles. Personal data must be: (i) processed fairly, lawfully and transparently; (ii) collected for specific, explicit and legitimate purposes and not processed in a manner incompatible with those purposes; (iii) adequate, relevant and not excessive; (iv) accurate and, where necessary, up to date; (v) kept in an identifiable form for no longer than necessary; and (vi) kept secure.
The processing of personal data must also satisfy at least one condition for processing personal data. These conditions are that the processing is: (a) carried out with the data subject’s consent; (b) necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject; (c) necessary for compliance with a legal obligation; (d) necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject; (e) necessary for the public interest or in the exercise of official authority; or (f) necessary for the controller’s or a third party’s legitimate interests, except where overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on the performance of a contract processing condition for online services (2/2019) and Guidelines on processing of personal data based on Article 6(1)(f) (1/2024).
Are there any formalities to obtain consent to process personal data?
The requirements for consent under the GDPR are strict.
To be valid, consent must be in clear and plain language and, where sought in writing, separate from other matters. Consent must be based on affirmative action so pre-ticked boxes are not acceptable. Consent might not be valid if: (i) there is any detriment to the data subject for refusing; (ii) there is an imbalance of power; (iii) consent for multiple purposes is bundled together; or (iv) the consent is a condition of entering into a contract. Finally, consent can be withdrawn at any time.
In practice, other processing conditions should be relied on where possible. Consent will only be an appropriate processing condition if the individual has a genuine choice over the matter, for example, whether to be sent marketing materials.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on consent (5/2020).
Are there any special rules when processing personal data about children?
Consent from a child in relation to online services will only be valid if authorised by a parent. A child is someone under 16 years old, though Member States may reduce this age to 13.
In Croatia, the age limit will remain at 16 for valid consent from a child in relation to online services. However, this restriction only applies to a child with permanent residence in Croatia.
Are there any special rules when processing personal data about employees?
The GDPR allows Member States to implement more specific national rules governing the processing of personal data about employees. It may also be possible to process special category personal data where it is necessary for a legal obligation in the field of employment law.
Pursuant to the Labour Act (Official Gazette nos. 93/2014, 127/2017, 98/2019, 151/2022, 64/2023) personal data of employees may be collected, processed, used, or delivered to third parties only if permitted by the Labour Act or another law, or if it is necessary for the exercise of rights and obligations arising from the employment relationship.
Employers who have an internal employment rulebook or are obliged to have one under the law (i.e. any organisation with twenty employees or more) have an obligation to determine the rules for processing employees’ personal data, in advance, by means of the employment rulebook.
Prior approval of a works council is needed for the collection, processing, use and transfer to third parties of personal data of employees. If a works council is not established, a union representative will carry out this role. If there is no works council or union representative, the employer may collect, process, use and transfer to third parties employee personal data without approval.
Employers with at least twenty employees must appoint a person to (i) supervise the lawful collection, processing, use and delivery to third parties of employees’ personal data, and (ii) receive and handle complaints relating to the dignity of employees.
The Labour Act and related laws set out further safeguards to protect employees’ dignity, as well as judicial remedies where an employer has failed to protect employees’ dignity.
Any employer and any person who, during the performance of his/her duties, has access to personal data of employees, is obliged to keep such data permanently confidential. Additionally, procedural information relating to the protection of employees’ dignity is also confidential.
Pursuant to the AIGDPR, the biometric data of employees may be processed for the purpose of recording working hours and for entry into/exit from the business premises, if such processing is prescribed by the law or is carried out as an alternative solution for recording working hours or entry into/exit from the business premises, only if the employee has provided explicit consent.
Pursuant to the AIGDPR, processing of personal data of employees via video surveillance systems may only be carried out (i) under the conditions set forth for video surveillance in the AIGDPR and in the laws governing work safety, (ii) if the employees are informed adequately in advance of such measures, and (iii) if the employer informed employees before making the decision to set up a video surveillance system. Video surveillance of work premises shall not include rest rooms, personal hygiene areas and changing rooms. The Protection at Work Act (Official Gazette nos. 71/2014, 118/2014, 154/2014, 94/2018, 96/2018) contains more detailed provisions concerning video surveillance of work premises.
The processing of information about criminal offences is generally not allowed unless it is permitted by local law. For instance, an employer may be entitled to process information about criminal offences of applicants for certain roles if a clean criminal record is a prerequisite for such employment.
What is sensitive personal data?
Special category data is personal data consisting of racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation. Decisions such as OT (C-184/20) and Lindenapotheke (C-21/23) indicate this should be interpreted broadly to include information that indirectly discloses these characteristics.
Information about criminal offences is dealt with separately and is subject to even tighter controls.
Are there additional rules for processing sensitive personal data?
Special category data may only be processed if a condition for processing special category data is satisfied. A condition arises where the processing: (a) is carried out with the data subject’s explicit consent; (b) is necessary for a legal obligation in the fields of employment, social security and social protection law; (c) is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or another person where the data subject is unable to give consent; (d) is carried out by a non-profit-seeking body and relates to members of that body or persons who have regular contact; (e) relates to data made public by the data subject; (f) is necessary for legal claims; (g) is for reasons of substantial public interest under EU or Member State law; (h) is necessary for healthcare reasons; (i) is necessary for public health reasons; or (j) is necessary for archiving, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes and is based on EU or Member State law.
Pursuant to the AIGDPR, the processing of genetic data for the purpose of medical diagnosis in relation to life insurance contracts or similar, is prohibited (including on the basis of consent). This restriction applies to data subjects entering into such contracts in Croatia where the relevant data controller is established in Croatia or provides services in Croatia.
Biometric data may be processed if it is prescribed by law or if necessary for the protection of persons, property, classified information, business secrets or for individual and secure identification of service users, and this processing is not overridden by the data subjects’ interests. The legal basis for the processing of biometric data for the purpose of secure identification of service user is an explicit consent. For the processing of biometric data by public authorities, the AIGDPR provides for a different set of conditions.
The biometric data of employees may be processed for the purpose of recording working hours and for entry into/exit from the business premises, if such processing is prescribed by the law or is carried out as an alternative solution for recording working hours or entry into/exit from the business premises, under the condition that the employee has provided explicit consent.
In either case, a data protection impact assessment is likely and the restriction on biometrics does not apply in matters of defence, national security and security-intelligence system.
Furthermore, the AIGDPR contains special provisions concerning video surveillance. This may only be used for the protection of persons and property and this purpose must not be overridden by the interests of data subjects. A prominent notice warning of such recording must be visible upon entering the perimeter of the recording and must contain the enhanced transparency information and an easily understandable icon indicating that the area is under video surveillance, information about the identity of the controller and its contact details. The video surveillance system must be accessible only to authorised persons and logs must be kept recording access to that material. Recordings obtained from video surveillance may be stored for a period up to six months. The AIGDPR and the Protection at Work Act (Official Gazette nos. 71/2014, 118/2014, 154/2014, 94/2018, 96/2018) contain more detailed provisions concerning video surveillance of work premises.
Are there additional rules for processing information about criminal offences?
It is only possible to process personal data relating to criminal convictions or offences if: (a) it is carried out under the control of official authority; or (b) when the processing is authorised by EU or Member State law providing for appropriate safeguards for the rights and freedoms of data subjects.
Pursuant to the AIGDPR, the processing of personal data related to criminal offences by the competent authorities is explicitly excluded from its application. The processing of personal data about criminal offences is currently regulated by the Law on Criminal Procedure (Official Gazette nos. 152/2008, 76/2009, 80/2011, 91/2012, 143/2012, 56/2013, 145/2013, 152/2014, 70/2017, 126/2019, 80/2022, 36/2024, 72/2025, 13/2026), prescribing, inter alia, that processing must be carried out only for purposes determined by law.
The processing of information about criminal offences is generally not allowed unless it is permitted by local law. For instance, an employer may be entitled to process information about criminal offences of applicants for certain roles if a clean criminal record is a prerequisite for such employment.
Are there any formalities to obtain consent to process sensitive personal data?
Consent to process sensitive personal data must be explicit. The general restrictions on consent, set out above, will also apply. This suggests a degree of formality, such as ticking a box containing the express words “I consent”. It is unlikely explicit consent could be obtained through a course of conduct.
When must a data protection officer be appointed?
Both controllers and processors must appoint a data protection officer if: (i) they are a public authority; (ii) their core activities consist of regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale; or (iii) their core activities consist of processing special category personal data on a large scale (including processing information about criminal offences).
The AIGDPR does not contain any additional provisions in relation to data protection officers.
What are the duties of the data protection officer?
The data protection officer must be involved in all data protection issues and cannot be dismissed or penalised for performing their role. The data protection officer must report directly to the highest level of management. Details of the data protection officer must be communicated to the relevant supervisory authority.
The Article 29 Working Party has issued Guidelines on Data Protection Officers (WP243).
Is there a general accountability obligation?
The GDPR adds a general accountability obligation under which you must not only comply with these rules, but also be able to demonstrate you comply with them. This means ensuring suitable policies are in place supported by audit and training.
Are privacy impact assessments mandatory?
A data protection impact assessment must be conducted where “high risk” processing is carried out. This includes: (a) systematic and extensive profiling that produces legal effects or significantly affects individuals; (b) processing on a large scale either special categories of personal data or personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences; and (c) systematic monitoring of a publicly accessible area on a large scale (e.g. CCTV). Where the assessment indicates the risk cannot be mitigated, the controller must consult the relevant supervisory authority.
The Article 29 Working Party has subsequently issued Guidelines on Data Protection Impact Assessments (WP 248). It suggests there are nine criteria to consider to determine whether to conduct a data protection impact assessment, and that an assessment should be made if two or more of those criteria are met. This is arguably wider than the criteria set out in the paragraph above.
On 21 December 2018, the Agency adopted a decision establishing a list of processing operations that require a data protection impact assessment pursuant to Article 35 GDPR. The list includes, inter alia, (i) processing of personal data for systematic and extensive profiling or automated decision making in order to make conclusions that significantly influence or affect an individual, or that serve as an aid in making a decision about someone's access to a service or benefit; (ii) processing of sensitive personal data for profiling or automated decision making; (iii) processing of personal data of children for profiling or automated decision making or for marketing purposes, or for direct offering of services; (iv) processing of personal data collected from third parties that are taken into account when making decisions regarding the conclusion, termination, rejection or extension of service contracts to natural persons (v) the use of new technologies or technological solutions for the processing of personal data, or technologies capable of processing personal data, for the purpose of analysing or predicting an individual's economic situation, health, personal preferences or interests, reliability or behaviour, location or movements; (vi) the processing of personal data by linking, comparing or matching data from multiple sources; (vii) the processing of personal data in a manner involving the monitoring of an individual's location or behaviour in the context of the systematic processing of communication data generated through the use of telephones, the internet or other communication channels; (viii) the processing of personal data through the use of devices and technologies where a security incident or other adverse event could jeopardise the health of one or more individuals; and (ix) the processing of employees' personal data through the use of monitoring applications or systems, etc.
Privacy notices
A controllermust provide data subjects with a privacy notice setting out how the individual’s personal data will be processed. The privacy notice must contain the enhanced transparency information.
The Article 29 Working Party has issued Guidelines on Transparency (WP260).
Rights to access information
Data subjects will have a right to access copies of their personal data by making a written request to the controller. They are entitled to both a copy of the personal data and information about the context in which it is processed. The initial request is free, though a charge can be made for subsequent requests. Controllers can refuse the request if it is manifestly unfounded or excessive. The right to obtain a copy of personal data should not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others. The response must be provided within a month, though this can be extended by two months if the request is complex.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on rights of access (1/2022). There have been several important CJEU decisions on the right of access. They indicate data subjects have a right to a faithful and intelligible reproduction of their personal data, including underlying documents where essential to exercise their rights effectively (FF, C-487/21) and that a request is only likely to be considered excessive if made with abusive intent (Rottler, C-526/24). In Österreichische Post (C‑154/21), the CJEU decided that details of specific recipients of the personal data must be disclosed unless this is impossible or manifestly unfounded or excessive.
Rights to data portability
Data subjects also have a right to data portability where the condition for processing personal data is consent or the performance of a contract. It entitles individuals to obtain any personal data they have “provided” to the controller in a machine-readable format. Individuals can also ask for the data to be transferred directly from one controller to another. There is no right to charge fees for this service.
The Article 29 Working Party has issued Guidelines on data portability (WP242).
Right to be forgotten
A data subject can ask that their data be deleted in certain circumstances. However, those circumstances are relatively limited, for example where the processing is based on consent, that consent is withdrawn and there are no other grounds for processing. Even where the right does arise, there are a range of exemptions, for example where there is a legal obligation to retain the data.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on the criteria of the Right to be Forgotten in the search engines cases under the GDPR (part 1) (5/2019).
Objection to direct marketing
A data subject can object to their personal data being processed for direct marketing purposes at any time. This includes profiling to the extent related to direct marketing.
Other rights
The GDPR contains a range of other rights, including a right to have inaccurate data corrected. There is also a right to object to processing being carried out in the performance of a public task or under the legitimate interests condition.
Finally, there are controls on taking decisions based solely on automated decision making that produce legal effects or similarly significantly affects the data subject. The Article 29 Working Party has issuedGuidelines on Automated Decision Making and Profiling(WP251).
Security requirements in order to protect personal data
The GDPR contains a general obligation to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data.
In addition, controllers and processors must ensure, where appropriate: (i) the pseudonymisation and encryption of personal data; (ii) the ability to ensure the ongoing confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of its information technology systems; (iii) the ability to restore the availability and access to personal data in a timely manner in the event of a physical or technical incident; and (iv) a process for regularly testing, assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of technical and organisational measures for ensuring the security of the processing.
Specific rules governing processing by third party agents (processors)
A controller must ensure that any processor it instructs will ensure adequate security for personal data and otherwise meet the requirements of the GDPR.
The controller must have written contracts with its processor containing the enhanced processor clauses.
Notice of breach laws
A personal data breach must be notified to the relevant supervisory authority unless it is unlikely to result in a risk to data subjects. The notification must, where feasible, be made within 72 hours. If the personal data breach is a high risk for data subjects, those data subjects must also be notified.
Notice of breach laws apply to specific industry sectors under other regimes. For example, under EU DORA and under the national laws implementing the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive and NIS II.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on Personal Data Breach Notification (9/2022) and Examples regarding Personal Data Breach Notification (1/2021).
Controllers in certain sectors may be required to inform sectoral regulators of any breach, pursuant to special regulations governing their operation. For example, pursuant to the ZEK (as defined below), electronic communication operators must inform the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (the “HAKOM”) of any breach of personal data regulations.
Restrictions on transfers to third countries
The GDPR contains a restriction on transborder dataflows. This restriction does not apply if the transfer is to a whitelisted country (which includes US organisations participating in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework).
Transfers can be made: (i) pursuant to a set of Standard Contractual Clauses; (ii) pursuant to binding corporate rules; (iii) to an importer who has signed up to an approved code or obtained an approved certification; or (iv) where otherwise approved by the relevant supervisory authority. However, following the decision in Schrems II (C-311/18) any transfer made on this basis must be subject to a transfer impact assessment of the laws of the relevant third country and supplemented by supplementary protections where necessary.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Recommendation on European Essential Guarantees for surveillance measures (2/2020) and a Recommendation on measures that supplement transfer tools (1/2020) to help conduct this transfer impact assessment. The European Commission has also issued an FAQ on the new Standard Contractual Clauses.
Transfers are also possible if an individual derogation applies. These derogations allow a transfer if it: (i) is made with the data subject’s explicit consent; (ii) is necessary for the performance of a contract with, or in the interests of, the data subject; (iii) is necessary or legally required on important public interest grounds, or for legal claims; (iv) is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject; (v) is made from a public register; or (vi) is made under the so-called minor transfer exemption.
The European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on derogations applicable to international transfers (2/2018). Finally, the European Data Protection Board has issued Guidelines on the interplay between Article 3 and international transfers (2/2018) to help identify when a transfer takes place.
Notification and approval of national regulator (including notification of use of Standard Contractual Clauses)
In general, there is no need for prior approval from a supervisory authority. However, this depends on the justification for the transfer.
For example, there is no obligation to get approval for the use of Standard Contractual Clauses (though it is possible some supervisory authorities may want to be notified of their use). In contrast, it is necessary to get approval to rely on binding corporate rules, and the supervisory authority must be informed of transfers made using the minor transfers exemption.
Use of binding corporate rules
The GDPR places binding corporate rules on a statutory footing. It is possible to obtain authorisation from one supervisory authority (subject to approval through the consistency mechanism) that covers transfers from anywhere in the EU.
No list of approved binding corporate rules is currently publicly available.
Fines
The GDPR is intended to make data protection a boardroom issue. It introduces an antitrust-type sanction regime with fines of up to 4% of annual worldwide turnover or €20m, whichever is the greater. These fines apply to breaches of many of the provisions of the GDPR, including failure to comply with the six general data quality principles or carrying out processing without satisfying a condition for processing personal data.
A limited number of breaches fall into a lower tier and so are subject to fines of up to 2% of annual worldwide turnover or €10m, whichever is the greater. Failing to notify a personal data breach or failing to put an adequate contract in place with a processor fall into this lower tier.
There are a number of CJEU judgments on administrative fines. For example, the CJEU has stated that fines can only be imposed where there is an intentional or negligent infringement of the GDPR, see Deutsche Wohnen (C-807/21).
The EDPB has published Guidelines on the calculation of administrative fines(04/2022).
Imprisonment
The Criminal Act (Official Gazette nos. 125/2011, 144/2012, 56/2015, 61/2015, 101/2017, 118/2018, 126/2019, 84/2021, 114/2022, 114/2023, 36/2024, 136/2025) prescribes that the collection, processing or use of personal data contrary to the law may constitute a criminal offence. Individuals may face imprisonment of up to one year. The maximum sentence is increased to three years of imprisonment where significant gain or damage results from such criminal offence or where the criminal offence is committed with respect to a child or sensitive personal information.
Imprisonment of up to three years may also be imposed for the transfer of personal data outside Croatia for further processing contrary to the law, or for disclosing personal data contrary to the law.
Pursuant to Law on the Responsibility of Legal Persons for Criminal Acts (Official Gazette nos. 151/2003, 110/2007, 45/2011, 143/2012, 114/2022, 114/2023) a legal entity may face significant monetary fines for such criminal offence.
Compensation
Data subjects have a right to compensation in respect of material and non-material damage. This requires more than a mere infringement of the GDPR and there must be actual material or non-material damage. The CJEU has issued a large number of judgments on compensation. They confirm that the mere infringement of the GDPR is not sufficient to give a right to compensation and there must be a causal link between the infringement and the damage to the individual. However, there is no minimum threshold of seriousness (Österreichische Post, C-300/21) and even negative feelings experienced by the data subject because of the misuse of their data may be sufficient to trigger a right to compensation (Quirin Privatbank, C-655/23).
Other powers
Regulators will have a range of other powers and sanctions at their disposal. This includes investigative powers, such as the ability to demand information from controllers and processors, and to carry out audits. They also have corrective powers enabling them to issue warnings or reprimands, to enforce an individual’s rights and to issue a temporary or permanent ban on processing.
The EU has also adopted Regulation (EU) 2025/2518 which lays down additional procedural rules for enforcement of the GDPR in cross-border cases. It will apply from April 2027.
Practice
The most significant fines issued by the Agency are set out below:
According to the Agency’s report for 2024, the Agency conducted 698 inspection proceedings.
383 inspection proceedings were ex officio inspection proceedings and there were 315 inspection proceedings at the request of data subjects. Out of 698 inspection proceedings, 197 were conducted directly and 501 were conducted indirectly.
There are no reports available for 2025 yet.
ePrivacy laws
Croatian ePrivacy laws are primarily contained in: (i) the Electronic Communications Act (Official Gazette nos. 76/2022, 14/2024, 45/2026, “ZEK”) implementing the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive, while certain aspects of electronic marketing and online services are further regulated by (ii) the Consumer Protection Act (Official Gazette nos. 19/2022, 59/2023, “ZZP”) and (iii) other e-laws, such as the Electronic Commerce Act (Official Gazette nos. 173/2003, 67/2008, 130/2011, 36/2009, 30/2014, 32/2019, 67/2025, “ZET”).
The public authority entrusted with the supervision of the implementation of the respective provisions of ZEK is the HAKOM.
Conditions for use of cookies
The ZEK contains specific cookies provisions, implementing the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive. Use of cookies is only allowed if the subscriber or user has given his consent, having been provided with clear and comprehensive information in accordance with general data protection laws (in particular on the purpose of data processing). An exception is provided: (i) where such use of cookies is necessary for communication transmission by means of an electronic communication network; or (ii) if it is necessary for the provision of an information society service requested by the subscriber or the user.
Regulatory guidance on the use of cookies
The Agency has published the Guidelines for the processing of personal data through cookies.
Conditions for direct marketing by e-mail to individual subscribers
Direct marketing by e-mail is governed by the ZEK and is only permitted with the subscriber's or user's prior consent.
Conditions for direct marketing by e-mail to corporate subscribers
The direct marketing rules do not apply to legal persons.
Exemptions and other issues
The ZEK allows direct marketing by e-mail where the similar products and services exemption applies.
The ZEK prohibits the sending of e-mails for purposes of direct marketing which: (i) disguises or conceals the identity of the sender on whose behalf the communication is made and is contrary to special e-commerce laws; or (ii) is sent without a valid address to which the recipient may respond without charge; or (iii) encourages the recipients to visit web sites that are contrary to special e-commerce laws. Pursuant to the ZET, the e-mail communication must also include the eCommerce information.
Conditions for direct marketing by telephone to individual subscribers (excludes automated calls)
Pursuant to the ZEK, direct marketing via automated calls (including SMS) is only permitted with the subscriber's or user's prior consent. There are no special provisions concerning non-automated calls. However, such calls are subject to the ZZP. In particular, direct marketing calls or messages may not be directed to consumers who have registered in the “Do Not Call” register maintained by HAKOM. Consumers who do not wish to receive marketing communications may register their numbers in this register, and contacting a registered consumer for direct marketing purposes constitutes a violation of the ZZP.
Pursuant to the GDPR, a data subject may object to the processing of his personal data for the purpose of marketing. Accordingly, non-automated marketing calls to individual subscribers are prohibited where the subscriber has objected to such marketing calls.
Conditions for direct marketing by telephone to corporate subscribers (excludes automated calls)
The direct marketing rules do not apply to legal persons.
Exemptions and other issues
Pursuant to the ZET, any communication must also include the eCommerce information.
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