Overview
- An Madrid mercantile court ruled Meta unlawfully processed user data from 2018 to 2023, giving it a significant advantage in Spain’s digital advertising market.
- The judge calculated compensation using an estimate that Meta earned roughly €5.3 billion in Spanish advertising profits during the five years found unlawful.
- The case was brought by Spain’s AMI media association, with the court linking GDPR violations to Spain’s unfair competition law to award damages to news publishers.
- Meta called the ruling baseless, asserted compliance with applicable laws, and said it will appeal the decision.
- Separately, Spain’s parliament opened an investigation into research alleging a hidden Android tracking mechanism, with Meta set to be summoned to testify.