A Microsoft subsidiary is the target of the latest privacy complaint from the European nonprofit Noyb, which has successfully battled a number of other companies in recent years. And the accusations in this case are quite something.
The issues lie with a Microsoft-owned ad-tech outfit called Xandr, which offers a real-time bidding platform for online ad placements—meaning it processes a ton of personal data to infer what people are likely to click on. (Note: In Europe, “personal data” means any data that can be connected with an identifiable person.) Much of Xandr’s data is highly sensitive, covering things like religious beliefs, sexuality, health, and financial status.
