LinkedIn is said to have misused user data for advertising

The Irish Data Protection Authority has fined LinkedIn €310 million. The reason: The job network is said to have misused user data for advertising purposes without being asked.

Due to data protection violations in the EU, LinkedIn is to pay a fine of 310 million euros. This emerges from an official communication from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC). Accordingly, the company is said to have unlawfully obtained consent to use user data for web purposes.

LinkedIn is said to have used user data for advertising without being asked

The DPC's jurisdiction arises from the fact that Microsoft subsidiary LinkedIn has its European headquarters in Ireland. This is the case with many US corporations because they benefit from cheaper taxes there. In addition to paying a fine, the data protection authority is now demanding that the company immediately stop its previous actions.

Specifically, data protection officers complain, for example, that certain data processing settings were already automatically activated in advance. In some cases, LinkedIn also viewed continued use of the platform as acceptance of new terms and conditions.

“Serious violation of fundamental rights”

The DPC also criticized LinkedIn’s actions for a lack of “legality, fairness and transparency”. Graham Doyle, DPC Deputy Commissioner, said:

The processing of personal data without an appropriate legal basis constitutes a clear and serious violation of fundamental rights.

Meanwhile, it can be heard from those around LinkedIn that the company is of the opinion that it has complied with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, the platform still wants to work to ensure that its advertising practices meet the demands of the DPC by the end of the set deadline.

The Irish data protection authority's proceedings were preceded by an investigation based on a complaint from the French digital civil rights organization Squaring the Net from 2018 based. Even back then, LinkedIn was criticized for its practices.

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