Pinterest Accused of Secretly Tracking Users, EU Privacy Group Claims

Overview:

The European privacy group noyb has filed a complaint against Pinterest, accusing the social media platform of illegally tracking users' online activity without their consent. According to noyb, Pinterest uses a variety of methods to track users, including cookies, tracking pixels, and fingerprinting.

Key Points:

Noyb, a non-profit privacy advocacy group based in Vienna, Austria, filed the complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission.

The complaint alleges that Pinterest violates the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by tracking users without their consent.

Pinterest has not yet commented on the complaint.

Implications:

If noyb's complaint is successful, Pinterest could face significant fines. The GDPR allows data protection authorities to impose fines of up to 4% of a company's annual global revenue for violations.

Background:

Pinterest is a social media platform that allows users to share and discover images and videos. The platform has over 400 million active users worldwide.

Noyb's Allegations:

Noyb alleges that Pinterest tracks users' online activity even when they are not logged into the platform. The group says that Pinterest uses cookies, tracking pixels, and fingerprinting to collect data on users' browsing history, search history, and social media activity.

GDPR Violations:

Noyb argues that Pinterest's tracking practices violate the GDPR in several ways.

First, noyb says that Pinterest does not obtain users' consent before tracking their activity.

Second, noyb says that Pinterest does not provide users with sufficient information about how their data is being used.

Third, noyb says that Pinterest does not allow users to opt out of being tracked.

Conclusion:

Noyb's complaint against Pinterest is a significant development in the ongoing debate over online privacy. If successful, the complaint could lead to significant changes in the way that Pinterest and other social media platforms collect and use data.