Dear customers,
we want to inform you about an GDPR issue, which occured recently and which might lead to legal warning notices.
An Austrian lawyer is currently writing a large number of warning letters to numerous website owners, due to the fact of using Google fonts on the website (via the web service static.com). This lawyer wants to claim damages for clients, who have visited the website, because their IP address might have been passed on to Google. He offers a settlement in the amount of € 190. Unfortunately, a judicial decision on this has been made in Germany a few weeks ago, which is the base for this claim.
This methods leads
In Austria, this matter has not been adjudicated so far and, to our knowledge, has been handled differently: so far the decision was, no damages can be claimed in the case of a first warning about GDPR violations. However, the court in Germany / Munich has ruled differently.
Therefore, in order to minimize the legal risk in this matter, we recommend adapting your web project as soon as possible.
Technical solution for your website
We have created a secure solution for your web project. With a technical adaption, we can ensure the use of google fonts without using the Google service creating the named problems.
Contact us by email at support@iservice.at for more information.
Received a warning already?
If you have already received a warning letter, please instruct us immediately with the technical implementation and forward a scan of the warning letter. The changes have to be made in any case, as the acceptation of the settlement does not eliminate the problem. If no changes are made, there might come more warning letters regarding this topic in the near future.
In case you have already received a warning letter, we will prioritize your order to minimize the risk of costs for you. The letter should be answered within 14 days and we can also give you advice on further course of action.
Please do not respond to the settlement yet, but reply with an email and request the legally compliant 14-day period to adequately respond to the letter. In the next few days, we are assessing the matter and the risk in the event of a lawsuit with lawyers.
The procedure
We will adapt your web projects as soon as possible after receiving your order and will let you know once the task is finished.
Note on the previous use of fonts
In this context, we would like to point out that the previous integration of fonts on your website is technically correct and a generally accepted, common technique. The occurred issue does not represent a defect. The adaption became necessary due to the changed legal situation and the practice of sending out warning letters.
We strongly disapprove of the approach to send out warning letters. For us, this practice is an abuse of our legal system. We will take legal actions against it. Nevertheless, we have to act quickly to make sure to protect you from any inconveniences or costs, and to minimize the legal risk for you.
Best regards,
your iService Support Team
