Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa: 2,207 cases from 44 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.
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Where?
by authority- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon), Departamento de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor (DPDC) €7.32m 76 % · 6 cases
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon) €2.28m 24 % · 1 case
What for?
by topic- no topic €9.1m 95 % · 5 cases
- Misleading advertising and pricing €496,079 5 % · 2 cases
Who?
by sectorAll sectors
When?
per year, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | €2.39m |
| 2023 | 1 | €26,889 |
| 2024 | 5 | €7.18m |
| 2025 | 0 | – |
| 2026 | 0 | – |
7 cases
23 Jul 2024 a Brazilian mobile operatorSenacon fines Brazilian mobile operator 2 million BRL over misleading 5G advertising €330,066
The Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon, National Consumer Secretariat) fined a mobile operator 2,000,000 BRL for misleading 5G advertising. According to the decision, the advertising messages did not disclose the limitations of the DSS technology used clearly and adequately and thereby misled consumers. Separate fining decisions were issued against three other telecommunications operators for the same advertising practice.
Technical limitations of an advertised service belong clearly and prominently in the advertisement itself.
Transparent advertising for telecommunications services
- Authority / court
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon), Departamento de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor (DPDC)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 6 III und IV, Art. 30, Art. 31 und Art. 37 § 1 Código de Defesa do Consumidor (Lei nº 8.078/1990); Art. 13 I und VI und Art. 14 Decreto nº 2.181/1997
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Telecoms, IT and software
- Published
- 23 Jul 2024
Original amount 2,000,000 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Jul 2024.
Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 23 Jul 2026 · Direct link
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28 Jun 2024 a Brazilian electricity distribution companySenacon: BRL 12.5m on an electricity distributor over supply interruptions €2.12m
The consumer protection department of Senacon fined an electricity distributor 12,500,000.00 BRL because interruptions to the power supply and delayed restoration breached the requirements of the Consumer Protection Code on adequate public services. The decision was also communicated to the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the regulator ANEEL.
Lengthy supply interruptions are not only a regulatory risk but also a consumer-law fining risk.
Security of supply and consumer rights during power outages
- Authority / court
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon), Departamento de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor (DPDC)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail
- Legal basis
- Art. 4 VII, 6 X, 20, 22 und 57 Lei nº 8.078/1990 (Código de Defesa do Consumidor); Art. 24–28 Decreto nº 2.181/1997
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- Published
- 28 Jun 2024
Original amount 12,500,000 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 28 Jun 2024.
Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 28 Jun 2026 · Direct link
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14 Jun 2024 a Brazilian electricity distribution companySenacon: BRL 13.07m on an electricity distributor over power outages €2.28m
The consumer protection department of Senacon fined an electricity distributor 13,067,441.04 BRL because interruptions to the power supply and delayed restoration amounted to an inadequate service in an essential public utility. It also invited the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the regulator ANEEL to consider administrative intervention or revocation of the concession; the Senacon Secretary rejected the appeal in November 2024. Shortly before, the authority had issued a decision for the same amount against another electricity distributor of the same group.
Utilities are liable under consumer law for lengthy outages; besides fines, they face scrutiny of consequences under their concession.
Security of supply and consumer rights during power outages
- Authority / court
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon), Departamento de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor (DPDC)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail
- Legal basis
- Art. 4 VII, 6 X, 20, 22 und 57 Lei nº 8.078/1990 (Código de Defesa do Consumidor); Art. 24–28 Decreto nº 2.181/1997
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- Published
- 14 Jun 2024
Original amount 13,067,441.04 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 14 Jun 2024.
Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 14 Jun 2026 · Direct link
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4 Jun 2024 a Brazilian electricity distributorSenacon fines Brazilian electricity distributor 13.07 million BRL over long power outages €2.28m
The Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon, National Consumer Secretariat) fined an electricity distributor 13,067,441.04 BRL. It found that the company had interrupted the electricity supply, an essential public service, and restored it only with delay, so that the service met neither legitimate expectations nor regulatory standards. The National Consumer Secretary dismissed the company’s appeal in November 2024.
Utilities need robust plans for rapid restoration after major outages – long interruptions are also sanctioned under consumer law.
Security of supply and outage management at energy utilities
- Authority / court
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail
- Legal basis
- Art. 4 VII, Art. 6 X, Art. 20 und Art. 22 Código de Defesa do Consumidor (Lei nº 8.078/1990); Art. 57 CDC; Art. 24–28 Decreto nº 2.181/1997
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- Published
- 4 Jun 2024
Original amount 13,067,441.04 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 4 Jun 2024.
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon), Veröffentlichung der Behörde (Entscheidung 2024) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 4 Jun 2026 · Direct link
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20 May 2024 a Brazilian mobile operatorSenacon: mobile operator fined BRL 922,869 for misleading 5G advertising €166,013
The consumer protection department of Senacon fined a mobile operator 922,869.00 BRL because its advertising for "5G" misled consumers: it did not clearly and adequately point out the limitations of the DSS technology used. The Senacon Secretary rejected the appeal in December 2024.
Advertising for new technologies must clearly state their technical limitations, otherwise it is misleading.
Transparent advertising for new technologies
- Authority / court
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon), Departamento de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor (DPDC)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- Art. 6 III, IV, 30, 31, 37 § 1 Lei nº 8.078/1990 (Código de Defesa do Consumidor); Art. 13 I, VI und 14 Decreto nº 2.181/1997
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Telecoms, IT and software
- Published
- 20 May 2024
Original amount 922,869 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 20 May 2024.
Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 20 May 2026 · Direct link
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6 Nov 2023 a Brazilian pensioners' associationSenacon fines pensioners’ association over unauthorised insurance deductions €26,889
The Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon, National Consumer Secretariat) fined an association of retirees and pensioners 141,422.58 BRL. According to the decision, the association, together with insurers and financial institutions, had amounts deducted from the pension benefits of those concerned in the form of insurance without their prior consent. The authority based the fine, among other things, on the provisions of the Consumer Protection Code on information duties and abusive commercial practices (Arts. 6, 31, 39 and 46 CDC).
Anyone collecting contributions or insurance premiums through deductions from pensions needs the documented prior consent of every person concerned.
Consent for deductions from pensions and social benefits
- Authority / court
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon), Departamento de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor (DPDC)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail
- Legal basis
- Art. 4 caput I und III, Art. 6 III und IV, Art. 31, Art. 39 III und V, Art. 46 Código de Defesa do Consumidor (Lei nº 8.078/1990); Art. 57 CDC; Art. 24–28 Decreto nº 2.181/1997
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Other
- Published
- 7 Nov 2023
Original amount 141,422.58 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 6 Nov 2023.
Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 6 Nov 2025 · Direct link
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6 Sep 2022 the Brazilian subsidiary of an international technology groupSenacon: 12.27 million BRL fine and sales stop for smartphones without chargers €2.39m
The Departamento de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor (DPDC, consumer protection department) of the Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon, National Consumer Secretariat) fined the Brazilian subsidiary of the technology group 12,274,500 BRL because the group’s smartphones from a certain model generation onwards were sold without a charger. The authority regarded this, among other things, as unlawful tying, the sale of an incomplete product and discrimination against consumers, rejected environmental protection as a justification and additionally ordered the cancellation of the registration of these models and the immediate halt of sales of the smartphones without a charger. Senacon later stayed the proceedings in order to negotiate a conduct agreement (Termo de Ajustamento de Conduta) with the company.
A company that reduces what comes in the box on environmental grounds must be able to prove the benefit and the consequences for consumers, or it risks a tying allegation.
Product contents, tying and environmental arguments in consumer law
- Authority / court
- Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon), Departamento de Proteção e Defesa do Consumidor (DPDC)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail
- Legal basis
- Art. 12 I und IX, Art. 13 XXIII und Art. 22 III Decreto nº 2.181/1997; Art. 57 Código de Defesa do Consumidor (Lei nº 8.078/1990); Art. 18 IV und VI Decreto nº 2.181/1997
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Telecoms, IT and software
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Published
- 6 Sep 2022
Original amount 12,274,500 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 6 Sep 2022.
Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 6 Sep 2024 · Direct link