Meta Platforms (META.O), the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, will face trial in Spain in October 2025 over a €551 million ($582 million) lawsuit filed by more than 80 media companies. A Madrid court announced on Friday that hearings will take place on October 1 and 2.
The AMI media association, representing 87 Spanish media firms, initiated the lawsuit last year. They accuse Meta of violating EU data protection regulations from 2018 to 2023. The media companies argue that Meta’s extensive use of personal data from its platforms gives it an unfair edge in crafting and delivering personalized advertisements, which they claim amounts to unfair competition.
“Meta’s massive and systematic use of personal data provides it with an advantage that undermines fair competition in the advertising market,” the newspapers allege.
Prisa (PRS.MC), publisher of El País, and Vocento (VOC.MC), owner of ABC, are among the complainants. Meta has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
In a separate case, Spanish TV and radio broadcasters UTECA and AERC filed a €160 million lawsuit against Meta on similar grounds last month.
These lawsuits reflect broader efforts by traditional media organizations to challenge tech giants in courts and legislatures, seeking compensation for the use of their content and preservation of advertising revenues. However, such efforts have faced challenges. In Canada and Australia, for instance, Meta responded by blocking users from sharing news articles on its platforms.
Meta has been reducing its focus on news and political content in most markets to drive user engagement, claiming news links now represent only a small portion of users’ feeds.
