On February 2, 2024, the Baden-Württemberg data protection authority (LfDI Baden-Württemberg) announced that it published its data protection activity report 2023: Shaping the future with data protection.

In particular, LfDI Baden-Württemberg highlighted, among other things, that during the reporting period:

• it received 3,817 complaints (21 more than the previous year);
• the number of data breach reports was 2,913, with 185 fine proceedings initiated; and
• the number of specific individual case consultations fell last year to 1,682, not counting telephone ones, while structural advice from the Education Center for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BIDIB) was used more often. It reached a new record with 3,732 registrations.

What will be LfDI Baden-Württemberg's focus in 2024?

In 2024, in addition to consistent advice and help with data protection law, LfDI Baden-Württemberg stated that it will deal more intensively with compliance with data protection in practice. Additionally, the LfDI Baden-Württemberg stated that it is consistently continuing its advisory approach and developing its authority into a competence center for data protection and artificial intelligence (AI). Moreover, in the area of ​​employee data protection, LfDI Baden-Württemberg will take a closer look at whether employees are being put under pressure at work by AI-based emotion recognition. A substantive focus for LfDI Baden-Württemberg will be data protection through technology design and data protection-friendly default settings. 

You can read the press release here and the activity report here, both only available in German.