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What is automated decision-making and profiling?

Europe's data protection framework, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), provides the following definitions:

  • Automated individual decision-making: making a decision about an individual solely by automated means (i.e., using computers and algorithms only, without any human involvement in the decision-making process);
  • Profiling: evaluating certain things about an individual, including interests, preferences, or behavior, through automated processing of personal data (e.g., using computers and algorithms to determine someone’s interests based on his or her online behavior).