What are penalties for ignoring data-subject rights?

Ignoring data subject rights exposes organizations to significant regulatory penalties. Under GDPR, violations of data subject rights (including access, rectification, erasure, and objection rights) can trigger fines up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. While maximum penalties are reserved for the most egregious violations, even smaller fines can reach hundreds of thousands or millions of euros. Regulatory enforcement actions also often include requirements to change practices, which can be operationally costly.

Beyond direct fines, ignoring data subject rights creates reputational and legal exposure. Individuals whose rights are violated can seek compensation through courts-GDPR explicitly provides for data subjects to claim material and non-material damages. Class action or group litigation is possible in some jurisdictions, amplifying financial exposure when violations affect multiple individuals. Publicly reported enforcement actions damage brand reputation and can affect customer trust, partner relationships, and even stock prices for public companies.

From an email marketing perspective, rights violations often surface through ignored unsubscribe requests-continuing to send after someone has opted out. This compounds regulatory exposure (violating both data protection and anti-spam regulations) with deliverability damage (spam complaints, blocklisting) and customer service disasters (public complaints, social media callouts). Even a single high-profile failure to honor an unsubscribe can generate negative publicity disproportionate to the technical violation. The cost of ignoring data subject rights isn't just the fine-it's the fine plus the legal fees, the operational disruption, the reputation damage, and the customer trust you'll never recover.