Spanish newspaper association files multimillion-euro suit against Meta over advertising practices

By CIARÁN GILES
Associated Press

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish association representing more than 80 newspapers has filed a lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta accusing it of unfair competition in online advertising by allegedly ignoring European Union rules on data protection.The Information Media Association says it is demanding 550 million euros ($600 million) from the social media giant. The association accuses Meta of “systematic and massive non-compliance” with EU data protection regulations. It says Meta has repeatedly ignored the requirement that citizens give their consent to the use of their data for advertising profiling. Meta has declined to comment, saying it hasn’t seen the legal papers.