<figure id="attachment_3183517" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3183517" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3183517" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/8549045d-afp__20250109__36tc6ym__v1__highres__germanyustechpoliticsmetadisinformation.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3183517" class="wp-caption-text">Madrid&#8217;s Commercial Court said Meta had obtained a &#8216;significant competitive advantage&#8217; in Spain&#8217;s online advertising market by unlawfully processing user data. (AFP pic)</figcaption></figure>
MADRID: A Spanish court has ordered that the multinational tech company Meta pay €479 million to Spanish digital media outlets for unfair competition practices and infringement of EU data protection regulation.
Madrid&#8217;s Commercial Court said on Thursday the compensation, to be paid out to 87 digital press publishers and news agencies, is linked to Meta&#8217;s use of personal data for behavioural advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
It said Meta had obtained a &#8220;significant competitive advantage&#8221; in Spain&#8217;s online advertising market by unlawfully processing user data.
Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters&#8217; request for comment.
On Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said a lower house committee would investigate Meta for possible privacy violations of its Facebook and Instagram users.

MatchPoint Times

Spanish court orders Meta to pay €479mil to digital media companies

The multinational tech company was found to have engaged in unfair competition practices and infringement of EU data protection regulations.

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