The Berlin Data Protection Authority has ruled the political microtargeting practice used by major German political parties illegal, following complaints filed by the noyb association.
Following complaints filed by noyb more than three years ago concerning the 2021 federal elections, the decisions target the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Alliance 90/The Greens, and The Left. The authority concluded that the use of sensitive political interests to deliver targeted advertisements was illegal. This processing of personal data, based on detailed user profiles created by online platforms, was not based on any valid legal basis, such as consent. The origin of these complaints dates back to an investigation by the "ZDF Magazin Royale" program.

A separate complaint against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is still under review. The party challenged the investigative powers of the Berlin authority in court, but the Berlin Administrative Court ruled that AfD was obliged to provide the requested information.