The tweets about Greta Thunberg's journey in the 1st class of the ICE 74 have an aftermath for Deutsche Bahn. "We take the individual case as an opportunity to talk to Deutsche Bahn about handling personal travel data," a spokesman for the Berlin data protection officer Maja Smoltczyk told SPIEGEL. The "Tagesspiegel" reported first.
"We want to raise awareness of data protection and the handling of personal travel data with the discussion," said spokesman Philipp Stroh.
The group reacted sharply at the weekend to a tweet by climate activist Greta Thunberg - mentioning both the train number of the travelers and their seat in 1st class.
It would have been even nicer if you had also reported how friendly and competent you were looked after by our team at your seat in first class. #Greta 2/2
- Deutsche Bahn AG (@DB_Presse) December 15, 2019According to the data protection authority, personal data may only be published with the consent of those affected - unless the group can rely on a legal basis.
The railway announced to the "Tagesspiegel" a "legal opinion" on the case. According to the newspaper, it should be checked whether the railways had legitimate interests in publishing Greta Thunberg's personal data.
For another reason, the tweet was uncomfortable for the young Swede. The train gave the impression that the climate activist had faked a tweet. He showed them on the floor of a crowded ICE - while the train was writing something about the service in 1st class.
Traveling on overcrowded trains through Germany. And I'm finally on my way home! pic.twitter.com/ssfLCPsR8o
- Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 14, 2019The right thing is: the 16-year-old had to spend part of the return trip from the United Nations Climate Change Conference on the ground. Only later did she board the train mentioned by the train and take a seat in 1st class. The group did not correct this - a communication disaster, analyzed SPIEGEL author Arno Frank.
With the data protection officer, the train only has to justify itself for the travel dates. As it is based in the capital, the Berlin data protection officer is responsible. She speaks regularly to the company. That is normal for a company of this size. However, the tweet is explicitly the reason for the upcoming conversation.
There is no official procedure for the case. For this, the person concerned must complain to the data protection authority about the train, i.e. make a formal entry. That didn't happen.
