noyb Files GDPR Complaint Against X Over Sensitive Targeting of EU Chat Control Ads

Privacy organization noyb filed a complaint with the Dutch data protection authority alleging that X unlawfully used sensitive personal data to target European Commission advertisements promoting its proposed “chat control” regulation. The complaint concerns a September 2023 campaign that allegedly used political and religious interests to select audiences and reached at least several hundred thousand users in the Netherlands. noyb says X enabled the targeting despite its own advertising rules prohibiting targeting based on political affiliation and religious beliefs, and alleges violations of the GDPR and Digital Services Act. It is seeking enforcement against X, including a fine.

The campaign promoted the proposed Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, which has drawn substantial criticism over its implications for private communications and encryption. European Digital Rights highlights warnings from EU legal and data protection bodies about generalized monitoring, risks to encryption and potential violations of fundamental privacy rights; it also notes that the Commission’s impact assessment identified no scanning methods offering good levels of privacy, security and feasibility. Following an earlier complaint, the Commission reportedly confirmed it would stop advertising on X. The allegations against X underscore the compliance risks of sensitive-category audience targeting, including when campaigns are commissioned by public authorities.