Pinterest once again ends up at the center of controversy due to the alleged violation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). According to the complaint presented by Noyb, a non-profit organization that deals with the protection of privacy, the famous social network is apparently carrying out advertising tracking of users in Europe without first obtaining their explicit consent, as required by community rules: all , obviously, with the aim of making profits.
According to the text of the report made regarding the social network service, Pinterest would be tracking approximately 130 million profiles of users automatically, i.e. without giving them the possibility to deny consent to personalize advertisements. The social network places “legitimate interest” as the legal basis for the processing of users’ personal data, an illegal practice given the rules of the GDPR, especially since it has already been challenged in Meta by the Court of Justice of the European Union with a ruling dated July 2023.
“Pinterest is covertly tracking European users without explicitly asking for their consent to proceed”declared Kleanthi Sardeli, a lawyer who specifically deals with the protection of personal data at Noyb. “This practice allows the social platform to illegally profit from people’s personal data without them ever knowing about it”adds the expert.
If this were the case, Pinterest would have violated another basic principle of the GDPR, which provides for the obligation to provide clear information to users when it comes to accessing their personal data, especially if this is subsequently shared or transferred to third parties. In the event that the accusations are confirmed, the social network risks suffering sanctions that can reach 4% of the entire annual turnover, and this is one of Noyb’s requests: the association aims not only to obtain the elimination of sensitive data and notification to the profiles affected by the violation, but also a fine that can serve as a deterrent to anyone who wants to proceed in the same way in the future
Pinterest’s response was entrusted to spokesperson Jeff Brand,
who spoke of a modus operandi similar to what is foreseen by the GDPR, reiterating the fact that the company prevents advertising tracking for users under 18 both in the European Union and in the United Kingdom.