Microsoft flags over $400 million charge for Irish privacy violation fine on LinkedIn

Software major Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it expected to take a charge of about $425 million in the current quarter for a potential fine from an Irish regulator over alleged privacy violations at its unit LinkedIn.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) launched an investigation into the professional networking platform in 2018 over whether its targeted advertising practices violated the European data protection law.

The regulator’s order is not public and Microsoft said that LinkedIn was informed about the preliminary decision in April. Microsoft added it would dispute the proposed fine after receiving a final order.