EU data-breach complaints rise as Europol faces surveillance-tool allegations
The European Data Protection Supervisor has said the number of admissible complaints about alleged data violations rose by about 25% last year compared with 2024.
The comments came as the watchdog addressed allegations that Europol developed an intelligence tool to bypass EU law.
Wojciech Wiewiórowski, the European Data Protection Supervisor, said on Thursday that the increase was making the office's work more resource-intensive and was shaping its supervision priorities.
He was speaking after the presentation of the EDPS annual report for 2025.
The report said the agency had also seen its highest number so far of requests for access to documents.
It warned about the first EU agreement to involve large-scale sharing of personal data with a non-EU country, the United States.
The issue matters because the EDPS is responsible for ensuring EU institutions respect privacy rights when processing personal data.
A rise in complaints and document requests suggests growing public concern over how data is collected, retained and shared.
The report also highlighted the EDPS's work on artificial intelligence and a broader increase in legislative consultations.
