Privacy win: Norwegian Authority fines Microsoft’s Xandr € 8.5 Million
Norway's data protection authority has fined Xandr, now owned by Microsoft, €8.5 million for GDPR violations tied to its processing of personal data from users of the dating app Grindr. The case was originally brought in 2020 by privacy group noyb and the Norwegian Consumer Council.
Why this matters: Grindr users did not sign up to have their data fed into the advertising supply chain. Many of those users are LGBTQ+ people in places where that identity carries real risk. Adtech companies routinely receive this kind of sensitive data — sexual orientation, health signals, location — and treat it as fair game for targeting. This fine says it is not. The size of the penalty matters less than the message: data brokers and ad platforms cannot quietly launder sensitive information just because an app handed it over.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · AI governance · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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