Vinted Fined Nearly 2.4 Million Euros for Data Protection Violations, Secretly Bans Users and Hides Costs: Criticism from EU Consumer Protection Agencies

The online retailer Vinted has been fined nearly 2.4 million euros for data protection violations by the Consumer Protection Agency in Lithuania. The company, which was founded in 2008 and is based in Lithuania, has over 100 million customers worldwide and allows users to buy and sell used clothing and shoes on its platform. A significant market for Vinted is France, where customers have complained to the French Consumer Protection Authority CNIL since 2020 about the platform not deleting their data upon request. Similar complaints have been made by consumer protection authorities in Poland, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Vinted has faced criticism from various consumer protection authorities for secretly banning unwanted users, making them invisible to other users without their knowledge. This is done with the goal of preventing these users from continuing to use Vinted. Additionally, Vinted has faced accusations of hidden costs during the ordering process. In response to pressure from the EU Commission, the platform has announced that it will now display the total price including additional fees.

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