German Doctor Fined €1,000 for WhatsApp Data Leak as Berlin Scraps Na…

A German court fined a physician €1,000 for sharing patient diagnoses on WhatsApp, establishing personal liability under data protection law. Simultaneously, Berlin is scrapping mandatory data protection officer requirements for firms with 20+ employees, but GDPR, AI Act, and NIS2 rules tighten compliance obligations across the EU. If you sell to healthcare or handle sensitive data in Germany, deregulation at home is a mirage—GDPR fines jump to €20m, AI Act deadlines hit next year, and courts now fine individuals personally for lapses. The €1,000 case is the floor, not the warning.