The European Commission "illegally directed advertising to citizens, utilizing delicate individual data", acknowledged the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), who dealt with a complaint made by the European Digital Rights Centre (NOYB). The case active political advertising.
The NOYB, which made a complaint on behalf of 1 of the EU citizens, accused the EC of utilizing delicate individual data on political views by ordering a targeted advertising run on platform X from 15 to 28 September 2023.
In its ruling of 13 December, the supervisory authority stated that ‘the Commission... unlawfully [processed] the individual data of the complainant, including the circumstantial categories of individual data, without a valid legal basis in the context of a targeted advertising run which the Commission conducted on the social platform X from 15 to 28 September 2023’. The aim was to gain support for the EC proposal to control chats under the pretext of allegedly "preventing and combating the usage of kid sexual abuse material on the Internet.
Advertising was targeted at citizens of respective EU countries selected on the basis of delicate data on their political views. In his complaint, NOYB accused the Commission's Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of utilizing illegal microtargeting on the X platform to advance the EC proposal to scan all private IMs.
When a heated debate broke out, it was said that the EC wanted to influence political views in the Netherlands. According to a non-governmental organisation, the EC not only "desperately wanted public support, which could be utilized to exert force on national governments to accept a controversial legislative proposal", but besides "to undermine the established democratic procedures between the EU institutions and to violate the EU GDPR Regulation".
Advertising reports showed that the EC directed advertising to users on the basis of their political and spiritual views. "Precisely, advertisements were only displayed to people who were not curious in key words specified as #Qatargate, Brexit, Marine Le Pen, alternate für Deutschland, Vox, Christian, Christian-phobia or Giorgia Meloni".
Although the EC has " previously expressed concerns about the usage of individual data for microtargeting", it described this practice as a "serious threat to a fair democratic electoral process". Brussels was besides to usage misleading public opinion polls.
Maartje de Graaf, a Data Protection lawyer at NOYB, pointed out that “the European Commission does not respect the law that it helped establish only a fewer years ago. Moreover, X argues that it prohibits the usage of confidential data to mark advertising, but does nothing to actually enforce this ban."
The EU Supervisory Authority liable for complying with individual data protection regulations has recognised that the EC has broken the law and has chosen to give reprimand.
The European Commission is not the only EU institution to direct political advertising to a selected section of society based on microtargets, which is banned in Europe. The decision of the EDPS is to act as a deterrent.
The European Commission spokesperson said: " We take note of the decision of the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) on a Commission run to rise awareness of the Commission's legislative proposal to prevent and combat kid sexual abuse material on the Internet." The EC is to measure this decision.
The reprimand for the EC came just after the cancellation of the presidential election results in Romania due to akin actions allegedly carried out by pro-Russian activists.
Source: busselsignal.eu
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