Norway fines Microsoft's Xandr $9.6 million over Grindr data sharing
MSFT•Norway's data protection authority fined Microsoft's adtech unit Xandr 92 million crowns ($9.61 million) for relaying Grindr users' sensitive data to thousands of advertisers. The fine is based on Xandr's revenue, and the company has three weeks to appeal.
1. Data sharing fine
Xandr relayed data revealing Grindr users' sexual orientation to companies in automated ad auctions from July 2018 to April 2020. The Norwegian authority said the fine, equivalent to $9.61 million, is the largest it has issued and targets advertising middlemen rather than the app itself.
2. Responsibility and response
The authority said Xandr assumed Grindr had obtained users' consent but never checked, and rejected Xandr's argument that it was not responsible. Grindr was fined 65 million crowns over the same breaches in 2021. Microsoft said the case concerned conduct before its acquisition of Xandr and that it was reviewing the decision and assessing its options.
3. Case background
The case began with a 2020 complaint by the Norwegian Consumer Council and Austrian data privacy organisation noyb. Xandr has three weeks to appeal.
