According to a recent report by law firm DLA Piper, organizations are increasingly being cited for violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
According to the study, the average number of daily reports has exceeded 400 for the first time since the GDPR came into force across the EU on May 25, 2018. Specifically, in 2025, 443 breach reports per day. This number was 22% higher than the previous year.
See also: GDPR fixes the most annoying thing on the internet
GDPR Violations: What are the reasons for the increased reports?
However, the data does not allow for definitive conclusions about the causes of this increase, according to DLA Piper. The law firm believes that geopolitical tensions, the plethora of new technologies available to cybercriminals and a number of new laws requiring the reporting of security incidents are likely among the key factors.
According to DLA Piper, the total amount of fines for these breaches was around €1.2 billion, roughly the same as the previous year. However, this high amount also shows that European data protection authorities remain willing to impose significant fines. Since the GDPR came into force, a total of €7.1 billion in fines.
See also: EE: GDPR relaxation for AI and cookie tracking?
Ireland , home to US tech giants Apple, Google and Meta, has been a leader in these sanctions. The total fines imposed by the Irish Commission Data Protection have reached €4.04 billion since the GDPR came into force in May 2018.
Among them is the highest fine ever imposed under the GDPR, of €1.2 billion against Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd. In addition, in April 2025, TikTok Technology Ltd was fined €530 million for transferring user personal data to China.
See also: Complaints against TikTok, AliExpress & WeChat for GDPR violations
However, DLA Piper points out that the risks of GDPR are not limited to administrative fines. There is also the risk of subsequent claims for damages. Several significant rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union and national European courts have addressed GDPR-related damages claims — particularly with regard to claims for non-material damages.
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