Many website operators in Germany are currently receiving warnings for alleged violations of the GDPR. Law firms such as Kilian Lenard from Berlin or RAAG in Meerbusch send warning letters stating that the use of Google Fonts violates the personal rights of their client.
This wave was triggered by a ruling of the Munich Regional Court in January 2022. In this case, a website visitor was awarded 100 euros in damages because the website operator, through the use of Google Fonts, unauthorizedly disclosed personal data to Google. (LG München I, January 20, 2022 – 3 O 17493/20).
We will briefly explain why this is illegal.
When loading the website and the Google Fonts embedded therein, personal data, such as the IP address of the website visitor, is sent to Google servers in the USA. The disclosure of the IP address to Google, without the prior consent of the user, is a violation of the general personal rights.
There are many indications that these letters are abusive warnings. A sample letter and more legal information on the subject can be found here.
