Austria’s Data Protection Authority announced that it has issued a ruling requiring YouTube to comply with European regulations and to respond to user requests for access to the data it stores about them, AFP reported.

The case began in 2019, when the Vienna-based rights organization Noyb (None of Your Business) filed complaints against eight online streaming platforms, including YouTube and Netflix, accusing them of “structural violations” of European data protection law. The specific complaint against YouTube was submitted on behalf of an Austrian user before the national regulator.

In its statement, the institution confirmed that it had “issued a decision against Google LLC (YouTube)” in the case brought by Noyb. According to the organization’s complaints, the services violated the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by failing to provide users with access to the information stored about them and explanations of how that information is used.

Google, the owner of YouTube, has four weeks to comply with the ruling but also has the option to appeal, Noyb clarified. The organization described the decision as a “victory” but expressed regret that the regulator reached it only after “five and a half years.”

“Submitting an access request should allow users to exercise their rights, such as the right to delete or correct data,” the organization noted, but delays make this “impossible.”

Google did not provide an immediate comment on the case.

Noyb is among the most active defenders of digital rights in Europe and has already brought a number of lawsuits against American tech giants such as Meta—the owner of Facebook and Instagram—and Google. Their complaints often lead to actions by European regulators in cases of GDPR violations. The organization has filed more than 800 complaints in various jurisdictions on behalf of internet users. |BGNES