Microsoft-owned LinkedIn on Thursday received a fine of 310 million euro ($335 million) from an EU privacy regulator for allegedly using users' data for targeted advertisement.
The Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) acts as the European Union's lead privacy regulator due to most US internet firms being located in the country.
"The processing of personal data without an appropriate legal basis is a clear and serious violation of a data subjects' fundamental right to data protection," DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement.
The DPC began its inquiry into LinkedIn's practices on a complaint initially made to the French Data Protection Authority.
The agency conveyed to LinkedIn its decision, which expressed concerns about the "lawfulness, fairness and transparency" of users' data on October 24.
Besides the fines, the DPC also ordered LinkedIn to bring its processing of data under compliance.
The action didn't come unawares. Microsoft had last year said it expected to receive a fine of about $425 million from the Irish regulator.
LinkedIn, responding to the reprimand, said, "While we believe we have been in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are working to ensure our ad practices meet this decision by the IDPC's deadline."
Microsoft acquired LinkedIn, a social media site for professionals, for $26 billion in 2016, among other things, to access the company's "massive user base."
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