Leaving a parcel with a neighbor without first obtaining the permission of the recipient

Leaving the parcel with a neighbor without first obtaining the permission of the recipient can be very expensive for the delivery/courier company.

The resolution of the Spanish Data Protection Agency (hereinafter AEPD) has made it very clear in a recent resolution that this type of practice implies that the personal data of the recipient, which appears on the shipping label, ends up in unauthorized hands and, therefore, they are put at risk.

The AEPD considers that giving a package to a stranger (that someone is a neighbor does not mean that trust relationships are maintained), as many delivery companies do, does violate data protection regulations in our Country.

Specifically, the infringement is related to articles 5.1 f) and 32 of the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD) by "violating the principle of integrity and confidentiality, as well as not adopting the necessary security measures to guarantee the protection of the personal data of its clients".