Record fine levied against Aena for facial recognition at El Prat airport

BarcelonaThe Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has imposed a fine of over €10 million on Aena for a facial recognition pilot project carried out at Spanish airports, including Barcelona's. This is a record fine for the AEPD, only matched by the one levied against Google in 2022. Aena "respectfully disagrees" with the sanction. "Both on substantive and procedural grounds, as well as because we believe it does not comply with the principle of proportionality," the airport operator stated. According to the company, chaired by Mauricio Lucena, the sanction is based on an "alleged breach of a formal obligation." Specifically, the AEPD considers that Aena failed to conduct a data protection impact assessment that met all regulatory requirements. Aena will appeal the decision in court. The biometric program that has led to sanctions against the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) was implemented at the Menorca, Madrid, and El Prat airports between 2019 and 2022. Aena has emphasized that all personal data obtained has been deleted and that no such system for passengers currently exists in its network. Furthermore, it stresses that there has been no security breach or data leak.