Schufa faces potential class-action lawsuit over historical data storage

Schufa NOYB GDPR data privacy class action lawsuit

The European privacy organization NOYB has formally warned the German credit agency Schufa, announcing preparations for a class-action lawsuit. The dispute centers on Schufa’s so-called ‘shadow database,’ which reportedly stores historical financial data—including old loans, foreclosures, and private insolvencies—for up to ten years, even after the information should have been deleted according to regulatory standards.

NOYB alleges that Schufa has violated Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by failing to disclose this archived information when consumers request their data. The organization is pursuing both an injunction to stop the storage and a representative action for damages. If successful, the legal action could impact up to 69 million people, with potential compensation claims of approximately 500 euros per person.

Schufa has rejected the allegations, stating that the retention of historical data is legal and necessary for technical optimization, testing new scoring models, and fulfilling regulatory documentation requirements. The company has indicated it will defend its practices in court, potentially up to the Federal Court of Justice.

Entities

European Union · Germany · Marco Blocher · Max Schrems · Schufa · noyb

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 8 SOURCES] Schufa maintains that storing historical data is legal and necessary for product development and testing new scoring models. newsflash24.de · derchotv.de · www.kurierverlag.de · www.leinetal24.de · www.diepresse.com · +3 more
[○ 1 SOURCE] Approximately 69 million people could potentially be affected by this data storage issue. extrajournal.net
[● 2 SOURCES] Potential damages for affected individuals could be as high as 500 euros per person. extrajournal.net · www.bild.de
[● 4 SOURCES] Schufa intends to defend itself against the allegations in court, potentially up to the Federal Court of Justice. www.kurierverlag.de · www.leinetal24.de · www.diepresse.com · www.ikz-online.de
[● 9 SOURCES] The privacy organization NOYB has formally warned Schufa and demanded the immediate deletion of historical data. newsflash24.de · www.tagesschau.de · derchotv.de · www.kurierverlag.de · www.leinetal24.de · +4 more
[● 5 SOURCES] Schufa argues that consumers are primarily interested in their current score and does not inform them about historical data. newsflash24.de · www.kurierverlag.de · www.leinetal24.de · www.diepresse.com · www.ikz-online.de
[● 5 SOURCES] Schufa admits to storing historical data for up to ten years. newsflash24.de · www.kurierverlag.de · www.leinetal24.de · www.diepresse.com · www.ikz-online.de
[● 9 SOURCES] NOYB plans to file a representative action for damages due to alleged million-fold violations of Article 15 of the GDPR. newsflash24.de · www.tagesschau.de · derchotv.de · www.kurierverlag.de · www.leinetal24.de · +4 more