In terms of privacy nightmares, Pinterest is unlikely to be the first social media app that comes to mind. European privacy rights non-profit ‘noyb’ has filed a complaint against the visual discovery engine for using tracking ads. It is accused of violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by failing to obtain consent from users to be tracked and profiled for advertising.
noyb claims Pinterest is breaking GDPR rules by tracking people and learning about them without their permission. The nonprofit group says Pinterest uses people’s activity and visits to other websites to customize the ads they see. However, Pinterest does not actually ask if users are okay with this. Instead, tracking is turned on by default and users must change their settings if they do not want it.
The complaint also says Pinterest did not give a user all the information about their data when asked for it. Under GDPR, companies must share what data they collected about someone if asked. But Pinterest reportedly did not say what specific info was shared with third parties.
noyb argues that Pinterest cannot use the “legitimate interest” rule to process people’s data for targeted ads. A past court decision said personalized ads usually require consent. Pinterest risks a big fine if found guilty by the privacy watchdog. It could be up to 4% of the company’s total annual profits.
The complaint aims to make Pinterest delete user data collected for ads. It also wants the company to properly respond to data requests in the future. All in all, noyb wants Pinterest to face penalties serving as a lesson about respecting user privacy.
Only time will tell if the visual discovery app faces real consequences for its secret tracking habits. However, the lawsuit shines a light on how even unlikely suspects must comply with privacy laws to avoid regulatory scrutiny.
