The Commission takes note of LinkedIn's announcement that it has fully disabled the functionality allowing advertisers to target LinkedIn users with ads on the basis of their membership in LinkedIn Groups in the EU Single Market.
This decision follows the Commission's request for information aimed at verifying the compliance of this functionality with the Digital Services Act following a complaint submitted by civil society organisations. According to the complaint, through this functionality, LinkedIn may have provided advertisers with the possibility to target LinkedIn users based on special categories of personal data referred to in Article 9(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation, such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, as revealed from users' participation in LinkedIn Groups. If confirmed, this possibility could have amounted to a breach of the DSA prohibition of presenting targeted advertisements based on special categories of personal data.
EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said:
"Following a civil society complaint, in March we asked LinkedIn to explain how they comply with the DSA ban on targeted ads based on sensitive personal data, like sexual orientation, political opinions, or race. As a result, LinkedIn is voluntarily discontinuing the functionality in question. The Commission will monitor the effective implementation of LinkedIn's public pledge to ensure full compliance with the DSA. While we will remain vigilant, it is positive to see the DSA delivering change that no other law has attained so far, in Europe and beyond."
