The International Advertising Bureau (IAB) Europe, an organization bringing together online advertising players, has just been sanctioned by the Belgian Data Protection Authority for violating the GDPR. A decision which is not surprising, since the IBA Europe had announced to expect it last November.
The Transparency & Consent Framework sanctioned
The organization was thus fined 250,000 euros, reports the media Bloomberg, because of its Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF). This standard introduced in 2018 allows websites and publishers to obtain consent from users for the processing of their personal data for the purpose of targeted advertising.
Beijing tries to create a special committee to circumvent US sanctions
It is in particular, and this is what it is accused of, intended to facilitate a practice called ” Real-Time Bidding “. It is a highly automated, real-time ad space auction system used by industry giants like Google. European regulators accuse it of prejudicial handling of user data in the context of advertising transactions.
In an e-mail addressed to Bloomberg, the Belgian regulator explains that “severe sanctions” were necessary because the tool ” could, for a large group of citizens, lead to a loss of control over their personal data “.
The GDPR was designed to protect the personal data of Europeans. Photography: Sergey Zolkin / Unsplash
IAB Europe disagrees with its sanction
In addition to the fine, the IAB Europe was ordered to set up a “ series of corrective measures to comply with the rules in force within the European Union.
For its part, the advertising group declared that it had “ serious reservations about the decision of the Belgian data protection agency. He rejects the regulator’s conclusion that the organization can be held responsible for this data. For IAB Europe, there will be ” major, unintended negative consequences that go far beyond the digital advertising industry “.
As a reminder, the European GDPR came into force in 2018 with the ambition to further protect the personal data of the inhabitants of the Old Continent. This reference text makes the European Union a pioneer in terms of data protection and the regulation of technological giants, and allows member countries to impose a fine of up to 4% of the total turnover of a company in the event of non-compliance with the regulations.
In 2021, GDPR-related fines also reached a new record, proof that the legislation is beginning to be rigorously applied by European countries.