More than 80 Spanish media outlets have filed a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, accusing it of not complying with European regulations regarding the protection of personal data, announced the association representing the media companies.
The media, gathered in the association of newspaper publishers AMI, is seeking compensation from Meta in the amount of 550 million euros for ‘unfair competition’.
AMI emphasizes that they are suing the American giant for ‘unfair competitive advantage in the advertising market through systematic abuse of personal data’.
Thus, Meta, between May 25, 2018, and July 31, 2023, ‘systematically and massively violated European legislation on the protection of personal data’ which requires user consent for their data to be used for advertising purposes, claims AMI.
By using personal data from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, the plaintiffs argue that this allowed Meta to create highly personalized ads, giving it an unfair advantage over its competitors, ‘to the detriment of traditional media that complied with European regulations’.
Among the media companies represented in the lawsuit by the AMI association are Prisa, the owner of the daily newspaper El Pais and the sports journal AS, Godo, the owner of the daily newspaper La Vanguardia and Mundo Deportivo, and Vocento, which publishes the conservative newspaper ABC.
Meta has so far declined to comment on the matter.
This lawsuit represents a significant effort by traditional media to resist the dominance of tech giants in the advertising market. It also highlights the increasing tensions between the two sectors.
Facebook and Instagram have 144 and 133 million regular users in Europe, excluding the United Kingdom.
