Court exempts Posti´s €2.4m fine but accuses of lack of data security  

The Helsinki Administrative Court on Monday reversed the EUR 2.4 million administrative fine imposed on the national postal and logistic services operator Posti by the Data Protection Ombudsman last year, said Posti in a press release.

The court, however, upheld the remark made by the Data Protection Ombudsman concerning the lack of transparent customer information in the processing of personal data within Posti’s OmaPosti service.

The court announced the verdict regarding the resolution made by the Data Protection Ombudsman on November 13, 2024.

The Sanctions Board of the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman has imposed the fine on Posti for its practices in the OmaPosti service that violate data protection rules.

Posti had automatically created an electronic OmaPosti mailbox for customers without a separate request. The Data Protection Ombudsman stated that electronic services are an important part of the digital society and must be implemented according to the rules.

The Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman investigated the processing of personal data related to the creation of the electronic OmaPosti mailbox.

The Data Protection Ombudsman received complaints about the forwarding of letters to Posti's online service without the customer's consent.

Meanwhile, Posti expressed satisfaction over the court verdict.

“We are pleased with the court’s decision. Data protection and information security are an essential part of Posti’s reliable and responsible operations,” said Posti’s General Counsel Kaarina Ståhlberg in the press release.