LinkedIn Disables Targeted Advertising Tool in Response to EU Tech Regulations

Microsoft’s LinkedIn has shut down a tool that allowed it to use sensitive personal data for targeted advertising to comply with EU online content rules, the social media platform said on Friday. The move by the company followed a complaint by civil society organizations to the European Commission, which also acts as a tech watchdog for the 27-country bloc. Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), online intermediaries are required to give users more control over the use of their data, with the option for them to turn off personal content. Companies are not allowed to use sensitive personal data such as race, sexual orientation or political opinions to target their ads.

The commission sent a request for information to LinkedIn in March after the groups said the tool could allow advertisers to target LinkedIn users based on racial or ethnic origin, political views and other personal data because of membership in LinkedIn groups. “We’ve decided to adjust tools in Europe by removing the ability to create ad audiences that use membership in LinkedIn groups as input,” LinkedIn vice president Patrick Corrigan said in a LinkedIn post. “We have made this change to prevent any misunderstanding that advertising to European members can be indirectly targeted based on special categories of data or related profiling categories,” he said.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton welcomed the move.

“The Commission will monitor the effective implementation of LinkedIn’s public pledge to ensure full compliance with the DSA,” he said in a statement. Complainants European Digital Rights (EDRi), Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF), Global Witness and Bits of Freedom cheered the LinkedIn move. “Pressed to act by Europe, LinkedIn must now extend this policy to users everywhere and ensure that it is not just those in Europe who are protected from aggressive ad targeting,” Global Witness’ Nienke Palstra said in a statement. .