Yes, web scraping is legal in Greece when conducted within the bounds of EU and national data protection laws, but unauthorized extraction of personal or copyrighted data risks severe penalties under Hellenic regulations.
Key Regulations for Web Scraping in Greece
- GDPR Compliance: Scraping personal data without explicit consent or a lawful basis (Art. 6 GDPR) violates the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) guidelines, risking fines up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover.
- Copyright Law (4961/2022): Unauthorized scraping of copyrighted content (e.g., paywalled data) may infringe Law 4961/2022, triggering civil liability and injunctions under the Hellenic Copyright Organization (OPI).
- Electronic Communications Act (4537/2018): Automated scraping of publicly accessible but non-personal data (e.g., business directories) must avoid breaching terms of service, as the Greek Competition Commission (EETT) monitors anti-competitive data hoarding.
Critical Considerations Greek courts increasingly align with the 2026 EU Data Act, which may restrict large-scale scraping for commercial analytics without contractual consent. HDPA’s 2024 guidance emphasizes “proportionality”—scrapers must justify necessity, minimize data collection, and allow opt-out mechanisms. Non-Greek entities targeting Greek servers fall under Greek jurisdiction if data subjects are EU residents. Always conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for high-volume scraping to preempt HDPA audits.