A consortium of 83 Spanish media outlets, represented by the AMI newspaper publishing association, has filed a substantial $598 million (550 million euros) lawsuit against Meta (formerly Facebook). The lawsuit, submitted in a Madrid commercial court on Friday, alleges that Meta engaged in unfair competition within the advertising market, particularly concerning advertising income. AMI contends that Meta is unlawfully claiming 100 per cent of revenue from segmented advertising, a practice deemed to violate European privacy regulations.
In response to these allegations, AMI has called on advertisers to redirect their campaigns toward media outlets that are perceived as "safe, reliable, and responsible," aiming to foster fair competition in the advertising landscape.
This legal action follows a pattern of increased scrutiny and legal challenges faced by Meta globally. In July, an Australian court ordered Meta platforms to pay fines totaling nearly $14 million (AUS$20 million) for misleading consumers about the use of their data. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) had filed a lawsuit against Meta over its use of the Onavo Protect VPN app in December 2020. The court ruled that Meta's subsidiaries, Facebook Israel and Onavo Inc, were each required to pay AUS$10 million for engaging in conduct that misled consumers, breaching the Australian Consumer Law. The misleading information was found in the app descriptions displayed on Google and Apple App Store listings.
(With Agency Inputs)
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