Advertising with SSL encryption

The question of whether a website nowadays, at least if it processes customer data in any way, must be SSL-encrypted is not completely uncontroversial. However, as I have shown here, the absence of encryption certainly harbors a risk of warnings, as courts have already considered a lack of encryption, e.g. of subpages with a contact form, to be a GDPR violation.

In times of free SSL certificates and relatively simple technical integration, a waiver is therefore rather foolish.

In turn, however, it is also true that, on the basis of the clear rules in Article 5 lit f. GDPR and in Article 32 GDPR on the general handling of data, one should again not advertise the fact of the existence of encryption. A sentence such as “SSL-encrypted!” or similar could be admonished as advertising with self-evident sals afflipoppurposes in accordance with Section 3 paragraph 3 UWG in accordance with Section 3 Of the Appendix to Section 3 UWG. Initial warnings are already circulating against online retailers. Whether putting “of course” before advertising mitigates the problem or leads to a different interpretation of consumer deceit is debatable. I would simply refrain from mentioning the special, even more highlighted, mention of an SSL enalude as well as other nonsense in the style of “We only sell original goods!”, “14 days of right of withdrawal” or “eBay fees we pay!”.

Advertising has become quite a treadmill, even for online providers. A lawyer’s advice can save a lot of trouble here later.

Author: Marian Härtel

Marian Härtel ist Rechtsanwalt und Fachanwalt für IT-Recht mit einer über 25-jährigen Erfahrung als Unternehmer und Berater in den Bereichen Games, E-Sport, Blockchain, SaaS und Künstliche Intelligenz. Seine Beratungsschwerpunkte umfassen neben dem IT-Recht insbesondere das Urheberrecht, Medienrecht sowie Wettbewerbsrecht. Er betreut schwerpunktmäßig Start-ups, Agenturen und Influencer, die er in strategischen Fragen, komplexen Vertragsangelegenheiten sowie bei Investitionsprojekten begleitet. Dabei zeichnet sich seine Beratung durch einen interdisziplinären Ansatz aus, der juristische Expertise und langjährige unternehmerische Erfahrung miteinander verbindet. Ziel seiner Tätigkeit ist stets, Mandanten praxisorientierte Lösungen anzubieten und rechtlich fundierte Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung innovativer Geschäftsmodelle zu gewährleisten.