Facebook Instagram Parent Meta in Trouble 550 Million Euros Lawsuit Filed Against Mark Zuckerberg Company

A group representing more than 80 Spanish media organizations on Monday filed a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, for a reported 550 million euros (about Rs 496.55 crore). Legal action has been initiated by filing a case of Rs. The media group has alleged that Meta, which also owns WhatsApp, has violated European Union (EU) rules related to personal data protection.

French news agency (via NDTV), Spain's AMI newspaper publishing association claims that Meta engaged in the “systematic” extraction of personal data from users on its platforms from May 2028 to July 2023. According to the lawsuit, the platform's practice violates European Union rules that oblige companies to obtain users' consent for use in advertising.

The lawsuit argues that Meta's actions resulted in unfair competition in the advertising market. By offering personalized ads derived from “illegally obtained” data, the US tech giant gained a competitive advantage in violation of EU data privacy laws. The report further reveals that major Spanish media companies, including El Pais publisher Prisa and ABC owner Vocento, are part of the association filing the lawsuit.

AMI's president, José Joly, said that Meta had established its dominant position in the advertising market by disregarding rules on personal data protection, causing Spanish media to suffer large losses and putting their stability at risk.