Italian DPA fines Wind Tre EUR 16 700 000 for unlawful telemarketing and data protection infringements
Italian DPA fines Wind Tre EUR 16.7M for unlawful telemarketing and data protection infringements.
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Summary
The Italian Data Protection Authority (DPA) has fined Wind Tre S.p.A. EUR 16,700,000 for numerous data protection infringements, including unlawful telemarketing and activating contracts without customer consent. The investigation revealed that individuals received promotional communications despite objecting, and contracts were activated without their knowledge. The DPA also found shortcomings in Wind Tre's technical and organizational measures, particularly concerning its sales network.
The lesson from this incident
Full lessonWind Tre S.p.A. was found to have conducted promotional communications to individuals who had explicitly objected, and activated contracts without customer knowledge or consent — both serious violations of GDPR principles. The root failures stem from inadequate data governance, poor enforcement of opt-out requests, and insufficient oversight of third-party sales networks. This matters because organisations are legally obligated to honour data subject rights and ensure consent is verifiable, lawful, and respected throughout their entire distribution chain. The scale of the fine (€16.7M) reflects how systemic, rather than isolated, these failures were across Wind Tre's operations.
What helps against this
How we list vendors- Identity governance and single sign-on
People who leave or change roles lose access everywhere at once, and forgotten accounts stop piling up.
- Data loss prevention (DLP)
Sensitive data cannot quietly leave by email, upload, USB stick or AI tool.
- Compliance automation (GRC)
Evidence for NIS2, DORA and ISO 27001 is collected continuously, not in a rush before the audit.