Microsoft Fined for Advertising Practices

DUBLIN (Reuters) – The lead European Union privacy regulator on Thursday imposed a €310 million ($335 million) fine on Microsoft’s LinkedIn over targeted advertising practices.

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) is the EU's chief privacy regulator for many top U.S. internet firms due to their EU operations being located in Ireland.

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 subjects’ fundamental right to data protection."

Microsoft indicated last year that it anticipated a charge of approximately $425 million for a potential fine from the Irish authority regarding its LinkedIn unit.

In response, LinkedIn remarked, "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."

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