LinkedIn has announced a significant change in its advertising practices following pressure from European regulators over potential violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The platform will no longer allow advertisers to target users based on data from their participation in LinkedIn Groups.

Regulatory concerns and LinkedIn’s response

This decision follows a complaint filed by a coalition of civil society groups with the European Commission in February. The complaint alleged that LinkedIn’s ad targeting practices could lead to discrimination based on sensitive user data such as race, politics, or sexual orientation.

LinkedIn launched Groups in 2010 to connect users with shared interests and has emphasized this feature since 2018. However, the ability to create advertising audiences based on Group memberships has now been removed in Europe. LinkedIn maintains that their previous practices complied with DSA rules but has taken this proactive step to prevent any misconceptions about targeting based on special categories of data.

Official statements

Patrick Corrigan, LinkedIn’s VP for Legal and Digital Safety, stated 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.”

Thierry Breton, the EU Internal Market Commissioner, responded positively to LinkedIn’s move, noting, “The Commission will monitor the effective implementation of LinkedIn’s public pledge to ensure full compliance with the DSA…It is positive to see the DSA delivering change that no other law has attained so far, in Europe and beyond.”

The bigger picture

This voluntary move by LinkedIn comes as its parent company, Microsoft, faces various regulatory challenges in Europe. By eliminating the use of potentially sensitive Group data for ad targeting, LinkedIn aims to continue offering targeted ads without compromising user privacy.

LinkedIn’s decision reflects a growing trend among tech companies to adapt their practices in response to regulatory scrutiny, ensuring compliance with evolving digital safety and privacy standards.