LinkedIn, the well-known professional social network owned by Microsoft, has been hit with a record fine of 310 million euros for violating the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The decision was issued by the Data Protection Commission of Ireland, the body responsible for monitoring the GDPR compliance of companies based in the country, including many of the world’s largest technology companies.
The Commission stated that LinkedIn’s justifications for tracking users’ activities and managing their data were not legally valid. In particular, the body questioned the methods through which the platform requested users’ consent for the processing of data, deeming them inadequate and not compliant with current regulations. This slip-up has not gone unnoticed, fueling the debate on privacy protection in the digital world.
The fine was the result of a complaint filed in 2018 by a French association dedicated to protecting the rights of internet users, which raised concerns about the transparency and ethicality of LinkedIn’s data collection practices. The severity of the fine underlines the importance of strict compliance with privacy regulations, especially in an era where the management of personal data is at the center of public attention.
This fine represents one of the largest fines ever imposed on a technology company for GDPR violationsacting as a warning to other companies operating in the sector. The GDPR, which came into force in 2018, was designed to protect the rights of users regarding the processing of their personal data, and regulators do not hesitate to punish companies that do not comply with these provisions. The repercussions of this decision could extend beyond LinkedIn, as other companies may be forced to review their data management policies and ways of obtaining consent.
