When online shops store customer data permanently in their own databases, that data remains vulnerable to cyberattacks. In 2026, several well-known Dutch and European online shops were hit directly by breaches of their e-commerce platforms.
Four examples from 2026. Each time the same pattern: the data sat in the shop's own database.
Hackers broke into the shop's customer database. Data of Dutch and Belgian customers was stolen.
This Dutch smart-home shop was breached through a vulnerability in the Shopware e-commerce platform.
The drugstore chain reported a breach of its online shop, in which unauthorised parties gained access to data of online customers.
At this health shop, unauthorised parties gained direct access to an external database with customer data.
Beyond the harm to customers, the shop itself faces fines, recovery costs and a loss of trust.
GDPR fines from the Dutch Data Protection Authority can reach €20 million or 4% of worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher.
Legal support, crisis communication and closing security gaps all come at a significant cost.
As soon as a shop has to report a breach, trust breaks down. A significant share of visitors abandons checkout once it is known that data is not safe.
With Privito, customer data stays in the customer's digital vault. Your shop keeps only an encrypted pseudonym and reads what it needs, only for as long as it needs it.
See how Privito makes your checkout faster and keeps your database empty.