Norway Hits Microsoft’s Xandr With Record USD9.6M Privacy Fine
(MENAFN) Norway’s data protection regulator has slapped Microsoft-owned ad tech firm Xandr with a record 92 million Norwegian kroner ($9.6 million) penalty for illegally sharing sensitive personal data, it announced Monday.
It is the largest fine the Norwegian Data Protection Authority has ever issued, according to the country’s public broadcaster.
Regulators allege Xandr passed personal data to potentially thousands of companies through real-time advertising auctions, the systems used to serve targeted ads.
“Thousands of users in Norway have been exposed to illegal sharing of sensitive information,” authority Director Line Coll said in a statement.
Coll called the violations “very serious,” adding that their gravity warranted the size of the penalty.
A Microsoft spokesperson, in a statement given to the public broadcaster, said safeguarding user privacy is a top priority for the company.
The spokesperson said the probe and ruling covered conduct that predated Microsoft’s acquisition of Xandr, and that regulatory interpretations and practices have since changed.
Microsoft said it is reviewing the decision and weighing its options.
It is the largest fine the Norwegian Data Protection Authority has ever issued, according to the country’s public broadcaster.
Regulators allege Xandr passed personal data to potentially thousands of companies through real-time advertising auctions, the systems used to serve targeted ads.
“Thousands of users in Norway have been exposed to illegal sharing of sensitive information,” authority Director Line Coll said in a statement.
Coll called the violations “very serious,” adding that their gravity warranted the size of the penalty.
A Microsoft spokesperson, in a statement given to the public broadcaster, said safeguarding user privacy is a top priority for the company.
The spokesperson said the probe and ruling covered conduct that predated Microsoft’s acquisition of Xandr, and that regulatory interpretations and practices have since changed.
Microsoft said it is reviewing the decision and weighing its options.
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