European data authorities will launch an investigation into the massive eBay data breach which may have affected as many as 145 million customers.
Gérard Lommel, head of the data protection authority in Luxembourg, shed light on the investigation which is set to begin this week and could take several months to conduct, according to a recent report by The New York Times.
Other European privacy watchdogs will be involved in the investigation, possibly with some cooperation from U.S. authorities. Although the Luxembourg data protection authority cannot impose fines based on its findings, it can have influence on an organization's “internal procedures” and current privacy practices.
The agency can also refer any cases to the public prosecutor, who then can impose fines and even present criminal charges, though Lommel believes that latter will not be the case with this incident.
