Spanish Media Sue Meta Platforms Inc. Rp9.2 Trillion On Alleged Unhealthy Competition

Meta is being sued by newspaper groups in Spain (photo: ary/voi.id)

JAKARTA - A group representing 83 Spanish media has filed a lawsuit of 550 million euros (Rp9.2 trillion) against Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc., citing unhealthy competition in the advertising market, in a repeatable case across the European Union.

The AMI media association said in a statement on Monday December 4 that the lawsuit was filed collectively by newspapers with trade courts on Friday, December 1, and accused Meta of violating EU data protection rules between 2018 and 2023.

The newspaper argues that Meta's use of "massive" and "systematic" personal data users of Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp platforms gives it unfair advantages in designing and offering personal ads, which they consider an unhealthy competition.

Meta itself did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. Meta sources familiar with the matter said the company had not yet received legal documents related to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs, including Prisa - which published major Spanish newspapers, El Pais, - and Vocento, the owner of the ABC, claimed that most of the ads placed by Meta used personal data obtained without the consent of clients.

This, according to them, violates the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation which has been in effect since May 2018 which demands that each website ask for permission to store and use personal data.

"Of course, in other EU countries, similar legal processes can be initiated because this is related to alleged violations of European regulations," said Nicolas Gonzalez Cuellar, a lawyer representing the newspaper.

This lawsuit is the latest attempt by conventional media to fight tech giants in court to protect their territory.

Worldwide, media organizations have struggled in courts and parliament to make tech giants pay fair fees for their use and content sharing.

Spanish media have scored a win against Alphabet's Google News service, which was shut down by the government in 2014 before reopening in 2022 with a new law that allows the media to negotiate directly with the tech giant.

After the Spanish case, several countries, such as Canada earlier this year, have imposed regulations designed to make internet giants pay for news