Leading Spanish publications have joined forces in a legal battle against the tech giant.
The Spanish Media Association (AMI), which represents the interests of 83 publications, has filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. The amount of the claim is 550 million euros ($600 million). The claims are based on the accusation of Meta in a systematic violation of the privacy rules for users of social networks from 2018 to 2023.
As noted in the AMI statement, Meta actively collected and used personal information about Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users. This allowed the company to create personalized advertising and gain an unfair competitive advantage in the EU media advertising market. According to the lawsuit, most of the ads placed by Meta were based on data collected without the express consent of users, which is a gross violation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, which came into force in 2018.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs emphasize that similar lawsuits based on the general EU norms may follow in other European countries.
Spanish media outlets have previously won lawsuits against Internet giants. In 2014, the Spanish government decided to close the Google News service due to the refusal to pay media for content. In 2022, the service resumed operation after the adoption of a law requiring companies to directly negotiate with content owners about payments.
The Spanish Media Association (AMI), which represents the interests of 83 publications, has filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. The amount of the claim is 550 million euros ($600 million). The claims are based on the accusation of Meta in a systematic violation of the privacy rules for users of social networks from 2018 to 2023.
As noted in the AMI statement, Meta actively collected and used personal information about Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users. This allowed the company to create personalized advertising and gain an unfair competitive advantage in the EU media advertising market. According to the lawsuit, most of the ads placed by Meta were based on data collected without the express consent of users, which is a gross violation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, which came into force in 2018.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs emphasize that similar lawsuits based on the general EU norms may follow in other European countries.
Spanish media outlets have previously won lawsuits against Internet giants. In 2014, the Spanish government decided to close the Google News service due to the refusal to pay media for content. In 2022, the service resumed operation after the adoption of a law requiring companies to directly negotiate with content owners about payments.
