Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) is a social media platform that allows users to discover and save ideas through images and videos. It competes with other social media giants like Facebook and Instagram. Currently, Pinterest is facing a significant privacy complaint in the European Union. The complaint, filed by the non-profit organization noyb, accuses Pinterest of violating the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) by not obtaining user consent for tracking and profiling for advertising purposes.

The GDPR is a strict privacy law in the EU that can impose penalties of up to 4% of a company’s global annual turnover for confirmed breaches. This could mean substantial financial consequences for Pinterest if the complaint is upheld. The complaint points out that Pinterest uses a legal basis called legitimate interest (“LI”) to process user data for ad targeting. However, noyb argues that this is not compliant with the GDPR, especially after a July 2023 ruling by the EU’s top court against Meta’s similar practices.

Pinterest has around 130 million users in the EU, and it tracks users by default for personalized ads. Users must actively opt-out to stop this tracking. Kleanthi Sardeli, a data protection lawyer at noyb, claims that Pinterest is “secretly tracking European users without asking for their consent,” which allows the platform to profit unlawfully from personal data. The complaint also mentions that Pinterest failed to fulfill a GDPR data access request, as the complainant did not receive information about data shared with third parties.

Noyb is urging Pinterest to delete any data processed for ads and inform users of this action. They are also advocating for a fine that would deter future GDPR breaches. The complaint has been filed with France’s data protection authority, CNIL, known for its strong enforcement on privacy complaints. However, due to the GDPR’s “one-stop-shop” mechanism, the case might be transferred to Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, as Pinterest’s regional headquarters are in Dublin.

To view the company’s most recent press release, visit https://ibn.fm/iKihI.

About Pinterest Inc.

Pinterest is a visual search and discovery platform where people find inspiration, curate ideas and shop products—all in a positive place online. Headquartered in San Francisco, Pinterest launched in 2010 and has over half a billion monthly active users worldwide. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Pinterest.com.

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