Linkedin Fined €310 Mn for GDPR Infringement

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined LinkedIn €310 million (approximately $335 million) for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The fine was issued due to LinkedIn's inadequate handling of user data for behavioral analysis and targeted advertising. 

LinkedIn was fined for inadequate handling of user data for behavioral analysis and targeted advertising. The DPC found that LinkedIn did not obtain valid consent from users and failed to provide clear information about how user data was being used. 

This fine is one of the largest ever issued under the GDPR and serves as a strong reminder of the importance of data protection compliance. 

Key points of the infringement include:

• Invalid Consent: LinkedIn did not obtain valid consent from users for processing their data. 
• Lack of Transparency: LinkedIn failed to provide clear information about how user data was being used. 
• Fairness and Lawfulness: The. processing of personal data was found to be unfair and unlawful 

LinkedIn has stated that it is working to ensure its ad practices comply with the DPC's decision.

LinkedIn attempted to justify its data processing practices using consent, legitimate interests, and contractual necessity, but the DPC found these justifications invalid.

The professionals networking platform did not properly inform users about its data processing activities, violating the GDPR principles of transparency and fairness.

LinkedIn has been given three months to bring its data processing practices into compliance with the GDPR

Last year in May, Meta was fined €1.2 billion (approximately $1.3 billion) by the Irish Data Protection Commission for transferring personal data of European users to the United States without adequate data protection mechanisms.

In July 2021, Amazon was fined €746 million (approximately $888 million) by the Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection for its advertising targeting system that operated without proper consent.

In 2019, Google was fined €50 million (approximately $57 million) by France's data protection authority for failing to provide clear information about its data processing activities and not seeking proper consent for targeted advertising. 

German State's Data Watchdog Warns Govt Against Zoom for GDPR Violation

Data Protection Authority for the German state of Hamburg, The Hamburg DPA (Hamburgische Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit), has been formally warned against using Zoom over data protection concerns, reported Techcrunch.

The Hamburg DPA has warned to use the video conference solution from Zoom Inc. in the so-called on-demand variant. This violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as such use is associated with the transmission of personal data to the USA, said the public warning.

Zoom allegedly violated the European Data Protection Board's guidelines for transferring personal data to a third country.

In the public press release, the Germam Senate Chancellery further said - "The European Data Protection Committee has formulated requirements in order to be able to transfer personal data to a third country such as the USA in accordance with the GDPR. The HmbBfDI is based on this standard in business and public administration. The documents submitted by the Senate Chancellery on the use of Zoom show that these standards are not being adhered to. Other legal bases such as the consent of all parties concerned are also not relevant here."

Ulrich Kühn, the acting Hamburg commissioner for data protection and freedom of information said, "Public bodies are particularly bound to comply with the law. It is therefore more than regrettable that such a formal step had to be taken. At the FHH (Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg), all employees have access to a tried and tested video conference tool that is unproblematic with regard to third-country transmission. As the central service provider, Dataport also provides additional video conference systems in its own data centers. These are used successfully in other countries such as Schleswig-Holstein. It is therefore incomprehensible why the Senate Chancellery insists on an additional and legally highly problematic system."

Earlier in July, the Federal Data Protection Commissioner (Golem) of Germany has ordered govt authorities and agencies to leave social networking platform Facebook by the end of the year, due to the similar data privacy concerns.

After GDPR, EU Court now Mandate Sites to Warn about Facebook 'Like' Button

In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect, in order to protect and handle information collected from citizens living in European Union (EU) countries. This made a substantial change in Web and internet industry besides that pop-up that users have to tolerate to proceed with engaging with any internet entity.

Now in a fresh brawl, Europe's top court ruled Monday that online retailers must warn web users that they send personal data to Facebook through the "like" button.

According to the European Court of Justice ruling, a site that embeds the Facebook "like" icon and link on its pages also sends user data to the US web giant.

"It seems that that transmission occurs without that visitor being aware of it and regardless of whether or not he or she is a member of the social network Facebook or has clicked on the 'Like' button," it said.

Under EU data protection law, therefore, a European retailer and the US platform are jointly responsible for gathering the data and sending it to Facebook's Irish subsidiary. Users should therefore be warned and asked to consent to their data being gathered, although the retailer is not responsible for what Facebook does with it later.

"As a result of this case, companies that embed this 'like' button on their website cannot hide behind Facebook any longer," said Monique Goyens, of the European Consumer Organisation. "The decision therefore underlines the right for internet users to always get information on what data are collected and how they are used by websites," she said.

The case was brought by a German consumer protection agency against online clothes site Fashion ID, which embeds a Facebook button to encourage shoppers to publicise its wares.

Bitkom, a German trade federation for online businesses criticised the ruling, saying it would heap costly bureaucracy on firms without enhancing consumer protection.

"With its decision, the ECJ places enormous responsibility on thousands of website operators -- from small travel blogs to online megastores and the portals of large publishers," Bitkom CEA Bernard Rohleder said.

He warned that the decision would go beyond Facebook and effect all social media plug ins, which are important for many firms to expand their reach on the web. (AFP)