Civil society complaint raises concern that LinkedIn is violating DSA ad targeting restrictions

On 26 February, EDRi and its partners Global Witness, Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte and Bits of Freedom have submitted a complaint to the European Commission regarding a potential infringement of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Specifically, we have raised concerns that LinkedIn, a designated Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the DSA, infringes the DSA’s new prohibition of targeting online adverts based on profiling using sensitive categories of personal data such as sexuality, political opinions, or race.

This prohibition is an important achievement of the DSA as it recognises that the most sensitive data may never be used to target people online. It contributes to the protection of users from discriminatory targeting and to shielding our democratic discourse from targeted polarisation and manipulation by misleading or selective messaging via ads. Before the backdrop of the numerous elections taking place across the European Union in 2024, it is more important than ever to hold platforms accountable for their legal and societal responsibility.

In submitting this complaint, EDRi and its partners hope to contribute to the effective enforcement of the DSA.

The DSA provides a crucial role for civil society organisations in representing users in defence of their rights and in offering their knowledge to support regulators and add to our understanding of platform practices through original research.

We are convinced that this work is done best when engaging with diverse perspectives and including expertise from different organisations. We are proud to do this work with this coalition across European civil society and look forward to continuing our support for effective enforcement of the DSA.