Although Germany is considered a country of data protection, corresponding authority activity in enforcement is often not apparent. In five years of the GDPR, the German authorities have not made a name for themselves either through particularly high penalties or through consistent law enforcement across the board. In the proceedings conducted by noyb, the authorities also tend to rely on "informal" solutions with companies rather than consistent enforcement with a general preventive effect. Complaints are regularly "informally closed" even when the law is broken. The authorities, in turn, place a strong focus on information and counselling work, vis-à-vis citizens, companies and state agencies