{
  "id": 3466601,
  "title": "Kreditwürdigkeit: Schufa droht Sammelklage wegen historischer Datenspeicherung",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/kreditwurdigkeit-schufa-droht-sammelklage-wegen-historischer",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-26T08:21:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/kreditwuerdigkeit-schufa-droht-sammelklage-wegen-historischer-datenspeicherung/100249791.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "The European credit information firm Schufa is threatening legal action over so-called shadow data storage, according to a report from the Noisy Business advocacy group in Vienna. The organization formally warned Schufa and announced plans for a court-wide lawsuit. Schufa denied the criticism and vowed to fight the accusations, even up to the Federal Court of Justice.\n\nThe conflict stems from research by NDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung, which reported in mid-July that Schufa retained \"historical data.\" This refers to information about past loans, attachments, or even bankruptcies, which those affected had already paid off years ago. Despite the regulations and self-imposed retention periods typical in the industry, Schufa allegedly stored this data for up to ten years. Furthermore, when formal requests for information under Article 15 of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) were made, Schufa allegedly kept this archived data secret from citizens. The company argued that most consumers were only interested in their current credit score and current values, so there was no need to disclose historical records.\n\nNOYB demands an immediate stop and plans to file a class action for the collective interest of consumers. If the company refuses, they intend to initiate an injunction lawsuit in the name of the collective consumer interest. Moreover, NOYB is preparing a class action for non-material damages, citing millions of violations of the right to information under Article 15 GDPR. The organization has already called on affected individuals to register on an interest list. If the data controllers are found guilty in court, this could result in massive financial consequences for the credit agency, as there are data records for nearly all about 68-69 million adults in Germany. A small compensation per person could lead to astronomical claims overall.\n\nSchufa maintains that its actions were legally and factually justified, citing legal and regulatory requirements for processing historical data. However, a Schufa spokesperson argued that the company still opposes NOYB's call to delete historical data, stating that it would be detrimental to consumers and businesses. Historical data and data tests are necessary to develop scientifically reliable scores, verify their quality, and ensure transparency and traceability in data usage. \"The demand from NOYB does not strengthen consumer protection but would eliminate central prerequisites for fair and accurate credit assessments,\" the spokesperson argued. Schufa will defend its storage of historical data in court, even if it goes as far as the Federal Constitutional Court. However, the company received protection from the German non-governmental organization AlgorithmWatch, which had launched a petition and provided a form for affected individuals to request access to their archived data. Over 22,000 people have requested information about their archived data, and within three months, the company has been responding with delays. AlgorithmWatch, together with nearly 145,000 supporters of the petition, is demanding full disclosure, the final deletion of the \"shadow database,\" and harsh action by the Hessian Data Protection Officer up to the highest possible fine.",
  "summary": "Die Schufa steht wegen der Speicherung alter Kreditdaten in der Kritik. Datenschützer fordern die Löschung der „Schattendatenbank“ und bereiten eine Sammelklage vor.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}