GDPR – EU Data-Breach Fines in 2020 Exceeded 170m Euros

European countries last year issued fines totalling 171.3 million euros (US$211 million) for violations of the EU’s framework for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The figures, outlined in a report published by research and news agency Finance in Bold on Tuesday, indicate that penalties imposed in the United Kingdom — which recently left the European Union — and Italy accounted for almost 60% of the overall amount. Under the provisions of the regulation, government agencies are empowered to require businesses and public institutions to take sufficient steps to protect personal information from cyberattacks and other damaging types of data-compromise, and to…