In a landmark ruling, a Madrid-based court has ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay €481 million ($554 million) in damages to 81 Spanish media outlets. The court found that Meta had exploited an unfair market advantage by unlawfully extracting personal data from internet users, violating European Union regulations. This data was allegedly used to enhance its advertising capabilities, significantly harming the advertising revenues of Spanish digital media. The court emphasized that Meta’s actions, which spanned five years until 2023, breached the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which mandates strict user privacy protections. Meta has announced its intention to appeal the ruling, labeling it as ‘baseless’ and asserting compliance with all applicable laws. This case could set a precedent for similar legal challenges across Europe, including an ongoing case in France. The ruling underscores the ongoing tension between tech giants and European regulators over data privacy and market fairness.
Spanish court orders Meta to pay nearly half a billion euros in damages to media outlets
