Norway’s Data Protection Authority has fined Xandr, a Microsoft-owned advertising company, $9.6 million for illegally processing and sharing sensitive information from Grindr users. The agency stated this represents the largest fine it has ever imposed. Between July 2018 and April 2020, Xandr managed real-time advertising auctions within the dating app that exposed users’ data, including sexual orientation information, to thousands of companies without proper consent. Xandr operated as a joint controller with Grindr but failed to verify that users had provided valid consent for this data sharing.
Privacy advocacy groups, including the Austrian organization Noyb and the Norwegian Consumer Council, welcomed the decision as a significant action against problematic advertising practices. They emphasized that profiling users’ interests, location, and behavior requires explicit consent, which advertising technology companies rarely obtain. Microsoft Advertising, which now operates Xandr, has three weeks to appeal the decision. A Microsoft spokesperson noted that the investigation focused on conduct before the company’s acquisition of Xandr and stated the company is reviewing the decision.
Source: Read the full story at BleepingComputer
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