Microsoft's LinkedIn has discontinued a tool that allows it to use sensitive personal data for targeted advertising in order 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 organisations to the European Commission, which also acts as the tech
watchdog for the 27-country bloc.
Under the Digital Services Act (DSA), online intermediaries
are required to give users more control on the use of their data, with an
option for them to turn off personalised content.
Companies are not allowed to use sensitive personal data
such as race, sexual orientation or political opinions for their targeted ads.
The Commission had in March sent a request for information
to LinkedIn after the groups said the tool may allow advertisers to target
LinkedIn users based on racial or ethnic origin, political opinions and other
personal data due to their membership of LinkedIn groups.
"We've decided to adjust those tools by removing the
ability to create an advertising audience in Europe that uses membership in
LinkedIn Groups as an input," LinkedIn's Vice President Patrick Corrigan
said in a LinkedIn post.
"We made this change to prevent any misconception that
ads to European members could 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.
"Forced by Europe to act, LinkedIn must now widen this
policy to users everywhere and ensure it's not just those in Europe who are
protected from invasive ad targeting," Global Witness' Nienke Palstra said
in a statement. Reuters