{"id":642380,"date":"2024-10-24T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/pinterest-faces-eu-privacy-complaint-over-tracking-ads\/"},"modified":"2024-10-24T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T05:00:00","slug":"pinterest-faces-eu-privacy-complaint-over-tracking-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pinterest-faces-eu-privacy-complaint-over-tracking-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"#Pinterest faces EU privacy complaint over tracking ads"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2920c410dc8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2920c410dc8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pinterest-faces-eu-privacy-complaint-over-tracking-ads\/#%E2%80%98Secret_tracking\" >\u2018Secret tracking\u2019<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/pinterest-faces-eu-privacy-complaint-over-tracking-ads\/#Data_access_issue\" >Data access issue<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to privacy nightmares, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pinterest<\/a> is unlikely to be the first social <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a> that springs to mind. But the visual discovery engine\u2019s use of tracking ads is the target of the latest complaint from European privacy rights non-profit <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/noyb.eu\/en\">noyb<\/a>, which accuses it of breaching the bloc\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by failing to obtain consent from users to being tracked and profiled for advertising.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GDPR allows for penalties of up to 4% of global annual turnover for confirmed breaches so such complaints can lead to substantial sanctions for tech giants. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Pinterest has generally flown under the radar, with regard to online privacy issues \u2014 especially compared to other mainstream ad-funded social services (such as Facebook) \u2014 it\u2019s worth recalling that the company\u2019s tracking and profiling was pulled center stage in the tragic case of the suicide in 2017 of the U.K. schoolgirl, Molly Russell. She had pro-suicide content pushed into her social feeds by a number of apps, including Pinterest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2022 \u2018Prevention of Future Deaths\u2019 report by a U.K. coroner found that \u201cnegative effects of online content\u201d were a factor in her death. It was the result of the ad-funded platforms\u2019 pervasive tracking and profiling of users.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the noyb-backed complaint against Pinterest, which has been filed with France\u2019s data protection authority, the platform is also accused of failing to fulfill a GDPR data access request. It didn\u2019t provide information on the categories of data about the complainant that were shared with third parties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As well as requiring that companies have a valid legal basis to process people\u2019s data, the GDPR provides individuals in the EU with a suite of access rights, such as the ability to request a copy of their information.  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-secret-tracking\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Secret_tracking\"><\/span>\u2018Secret tracking\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pinterest is relying upon a legal basis for processing people\u2019s data for ad targeting that\u2019s known as legitimate interest (LI). However, noyb argues this use is non-compliant with the GDPR.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It points to a July 2023 ruling by the EU\u2019s top court which denied Facebook owner Meta\u2019s ability to ram its own surveillance ads business through LI* \u2014 asserting that Pinterest must therefore obtain Europeans\u2019 consent to run its own \u2018personalized ads\u2019 business. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As it stands, Pinterest, which has some 130 million regional users, tracks all of them by default to \u201cpersonalize\u201d ads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any Pinterest user in Europe who wishes not to be tracked and profiled in this way must take the active step of objecting to its processing (the GDPR requires that users are provided with the ability to object to processing if LI is the legal basis), rather than being affirmatively asked whether they\u2019re okay with their information being used like this, as noyb believes should be the case here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPinterest is secretly tracking European users without asking for their consent,\u201d said Kleanthi\u00a0Sardeli, a data protection lawyer at\u00a0noyb, in a statement on the complaint. \u201cThis allows the social media platform to unlawfully profit from people\u2019s personal data without them ever finding out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt appears that Pinterest is actively ignoring a European Court of Justice (CJEU) ruling in order to maximise its profits. The CJEU made it clear that personalised advertising cannot be based on legitimate interest,\u201d Sardeli added. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-data-access-issue\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Data_access_issue\"><\/span>Data access issue<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">noyb\u2019s complaint against Pinterest has been filed on behalf of an unnamed user who it said had not realized the platform was tracking her without consent. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She only discovered Pinterest\u2019s tracking when she looked at the \u201cprivacy and data\u201d settings \u2014 where she found that \u201cads personalization\u201d was turned on by default. She also found that the platform uses information from\u00a0\u201cvisited websites\u201d\u00a0and other third parties for ads display, as well as tracking her on-site activity for this purpose. In short, Pinterest is in the surveillance ads business. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis practice is clearly unlawful since the introduction of the GDPR in 2018,\u201d noyb wrote in a press release. \u201cIn its ruling in case C252\/21\u00a0<em>Bundeskartellamt<\/em>\u00a0in 2023,\u00a0the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) found again that personalised advertising cannot be based on legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The complainant also took the step of filing a data access request to Pinterest. But the copy of her data she received didn\u2019t include any information about the recipients of her data, per noyb. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven after two additional requests, Pinterest failed to provide details about the categories of data that were shared with third parties,\u201d it wrote, adding: \u201cIn other words: Pinterest failed to adequately respond to the access request under Article 15(1)(c) GDPR.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The complaint calls for Pinterest to delete any data it has processed for ads and inform users it has done so. The company should also fulfil the complainant\u2019s data access request. Additionally, noyb is pressing for it to be fined at a level that would act as a deterrent for future GDPR breaches.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pinterest has been contacted for a response to the complaint. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While noyb has filed this case in France, where the regulator (CNIL) has a strong reputation for enforcing on privacy complaints \u2014 including around the issue of consent \u2014 it\u2019s possible it could be passed to Ireland\u2019s Data Protection Commission on account of Pinterest having its regional HQ in Dublin. (And because of the GDPR\u2019s \u201cone-stop-shop\u201d mechanism for streamlining oversight of complaints that span EU borders.) <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, noyb told TechCrunch it has filed the complaint against Pinterest\u2019s U.S.-based entity, pointing out that the company\u2019s privacy policy names both Pinterest Europe and Pinterest, Inc (i.e. the US entity) as joint data controllers for the processing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe CNIL therefore is the competent authority and shouldn\u2019t forward the complaint to Ireland,\u201d it suggested. \u201cBut we of course don\u2019t know if they will do so anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">* For its part, Meta has since switched to a consent-based legal basis for its tracking ads. Albeit, it\u2019s a version of \u2018consent\u2019 that forces users to choose between paying it for an ad-free subscription or accepting its tracking ads for free access to its services \u2014 that\u2019s itself now also subject to privacy, consumer protection and competition complaints. But that\u2019s a whole other story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/10\/23\/pinterest-faces-eu-privacy-complaint-over-tracking-ads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to privacy nightmares, Pinterest is unlikely to be the first social app that springs to mind. But the visual discovery engine\u2019s use of tracking ads is the target of the latest complaint from European privacy rights non-profit noyb, which accuses it of breaching the bloc\u2019s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by failing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":642381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-460308601.jpg?resize=1200,799","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[15047,152452,152453,152454,31059],"class_list":["post-642380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-privacy","tag-gdpr-complaint-pinterest","tag-gdpr-pinterest","tag-noyb-pinterest","tag-social"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}