LinkedIn Fined $335m Over Targeted Advertising Practices

The European Union’s primary privacy regulator has slammed a €310 million ($335 million) fine against Microsoft’s LinkedIn, a professional networking platform, over its targeted advertising practices.

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), responsible for overseeing many major U.S. tech firms’ EU operations, imposed the fine.

In September, it also fined Meta 91 million euros for failing to put in place appropriate security measures to protect users’ password data and for taking too long to alert the regulator of the issue.

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DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement, “The processing of personal data without an appropriate legal basis is a clear and serious violation of the data subject’s fundamental right to data protection.”

Microsoft had previously indicated it expected a potential charge of approximately $425 million for a fine concerning LinkedIn’s operations.

LinkedIn responded, stating, “While we believe we have complied with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are working to align our ad practices with this decision by the IDPC’s deadline.”