EU fines LinkedIn over targeted advertising practices

The European Union’s (EU) privacy regulator has imposed a €310 million ($335 million) fine on LinkedIn, Microsoft’s professional networking platform, for its targeted advertising practices.

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), the EU’s lead privacy regulator for major US internet firms, announced the fine on Thursday.

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

Microsoft had anticipated a potential fine of about $425 million for LinkedIn from the Irish regulator.

In response, LinkedIn said, “While we believe we have been in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are working to ensure our ad practices meet this decision by the IDPC’s deadline.”