LinkedIn has issued a response to the European Union’s decision to impose a $334 million fine on the professional networking platform for allegedly violating General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules.
The fine was levied by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which found that LinkedIn improperly utilized behavioral data from its members for targeted advertising.
According to the DPC, LinkedIn failed to obtain the necessary consent, establish a legitimate interest, or demonstrate a contractual necessity for processing the data collected by itself and third parties. This oversight was deemed a violation of GDPR, which mandates lawful processing of personal data.
“The lawfulness of processing is a fundamental aspect of data protection law, and processing personal data without an appropriate legal basis is a clear and serious violation of a data subject’s fundamental right to data protection,” stated DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle.
In response to the ruling, a LinkedIn spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to complying with GDPR. “Today, the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) reached a final decision on claims from 2018 regarding some of our digital advertising efforts in the EU. 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,” the spokesperson said in a statement to Engadget.
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The fine marks a significant development in the ongoing scrutiny of tech companies’ data practices in the EU, highlighting the challenges they face in adhering to stringent data protection regulations.
