In the matter of the General Data Protection Regulation
DPC Complaint Reference:
In the matter of a complaint, lodged by with the Data Protection Commission
pursuant to Article 77 of the General Data Protection Regulation, concerning Shutterstock Ireland
Limited
Record of Amicable Resolution of the complaint and its consequent withdrawal pursuant to
Section 109(3) of the Data Protection Act, 2018
Further to the requirements of EDPB Guidelines 06/2022 on the practical implementation of
amicable settlements Version 2.0 (adopted on 12 May 2022)
RECORD OF AMICABLE RESOLUTION FOR THE
PURPOSE OF EDPB GUIDELINES 06/2022 ON THE
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF AMICABLE
SETTLEMENTS VERSION 2.0
(ADOPTED ON 12 MAY 2022)
Dated the 22nd day of March 2024
Data Protection Commission
21 Fitzwilliam Square South
Dublin 2, Ireland
1
Background
1. On 7 February 2023, (“the Data Subject”) lodged a complaint pursuant to
Article 77 of the GDPR with the Data Protection Commission (“the DPC”) concerning
Shutterstock Ireland Limited (“the Respondent”).
2. The DPC was deemed to be the competent authority for the purpose of Article 56(1) of the
GDPR.
The Complaint
3. The details of the complaint were as follows:
a. The Data Subject wrote to the Respondent on 1 January 2023, to request erasure of
their personal data associated with their accounts on the Respondent’s platform.
b. As the Data Subject did not receive any response from the Respondent, they
proceeded to lodge their complaint with the DPC.
Action taken by the DPC
4. The DPC, pursuant to Section 109(4) of the Data Protection Act, 2018 (“the 2018 Act”), is
required, as a preliminary matter, to assess the likelihood of the parties to the complaint
reaching, within a reasonable time, an amicable resolution of the subject-matter of the
complaint. Where the DPC considers that there is a reasonable likelihood of such an amicable
resolution being concluded between the parties, it is empowered, by Section 109(2) of the
2018 Act, to take such steps as it considers appropriate to arrange or facilitate such an
amicable resolution.
5. Following a preliminary examination of the material referred to it by the Recipient SA, the DPC
considered that there was a reasonable likelihood of the parties concerned reaching, within a
reasonable time, an amicable resolution of the subject matter of the complaint. The DPC’s
experience is that complaints of this nature are particularly suitable for amicable resolution in
circumstances where there is an obvious solution to the dispute, if the respondent is willing
to engage in the process. In this regard, the DPC had regard to:
a. The relationship between the Data Subject and Respondent (being, in this case, an
individual consumer and a service provider); and
b. The nature of the complaint (in this case, an unsuccessful attempt by the Data Subject
to exercise their data subject rights).
6. While not relevant to the assessment that the DPC is required to carry out pursuant to Section
109(4) of the 2018 Act, the DPC also had regard to EDPB Guidelines 06/2022 on the practical
implementation of amicable settlements Version 2.0, adopted on 12 May 2022 (“Document
06/2022”), and considered that:
2
a. the possible conclusion of the complaint by way of amicable resolution would not
hamper the ability of the supervisory authorities to maintain the high level of
protection that the GDPR seeks to create; and that
b. such a conclusion, in this case, would likely carry advantages for the Data Subject,
whose rights under the GDPR would be vindicated swiftly, as well as for the controller,
who would be provided the opportunity to bring its behaviour into compliance with
the GDPR.
Amicable Resolution
7. The DPC engaged with both the Data Subject and Respondent in relation to the subject matter
of the complaint. Further to that engagement, it was established that the Respondent had
previously complied with an erasure request, pursuant to Article 17, on 14 February 2019 and
at the time of the Data Subject’s request on 1 January 2023, believed that it no longer retained
any personal data related to the Data Subject. However, on the basis of further information
provided by the Data Subject and the DPC, the Respondent was able to identify that a record
of the Data Subject’s email address had been retained to prevent the creation of duplicate
accounts on the Respondent’s platform. In the circumstances, the Respondent agreed to take
the following action:
a. The Respondent clarified that it processes the email addresses of users of its platform
pursuant to Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR to comply with its legal obligations with regard
to preventing fraud and copyright abuses related to the services available on its
platform;
b. The Respondent agreed to erase the email addresses associated with the Data
Subject’s accounts from its register as it had not identified any fraudulent activity on
the Data Subject’s accounts, which had also been closed at the Data Subject’s own
request.
8. On 15 December 2023, the DPC wrote to the Data Subject seeking their views on whether the
action taken by the Respondent was sufficient in amicably resolving the complaint. In this
correspondence, the DPC requested the Data Subject notify it, within a stated timeframe, if
they were not satisfied with the outcome, so that the DPC could take further action. The DPC
did not receive any further communication from the Data Subject and, accordingly, the
complaint has been deemed to have been amicably resolved.
9. On 31 January 2024, and in light of the foregoing, the DPC informed the Respondent that it
would close the complaint in question.
10. In circumstances where the subject matter of the complaint has been amicably resolved, in
full, the complaint, by virtue of Section 109(3) of the 2018 Act, is deemed to have been
withdrawn by the Data Subject.
3
Confirmation of Outcome
11. For the purpose of Document 06/2022, the DPC confirms that:
a. The complaint, in its entirety, has been amicably resolved between the parties
concerned;
b. The agreed resolution is such that the object of the complaint no longer exists; and
c. Having consulted with the supervisory authorities concerned on the information set
out above, as required by Document 06/2022 the DPC has now closed off its file in
this matter.
12. If dissatisfied with the outcome recorded herein, the parties have the right to an effective
remedy by way of an application for judicial review, by the Irish High Court, of the process
applied by the DPC in the context of the within complaint.
Signed for and on behalf of the DPC:
_____________________________
Deputy Commissioner
Data Protection Commission
4