November 20, 2025, 1:09 p.mNovember 20, 2025, 1:09 p.m
A court in Spain has ordered Facebook parent Meta to pay 479 million euros to Spanish media companies for unfair competition. Meta “gained a significant competitive advantage through advertising on its online services Facebook and Instagram in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR),” said a press release from the Madrid court on Thursday. The payment will go to 87 Spanish online newspaper publishers and press agencies.
Spanish radio and television stations have filed a separate lawsuit, also alleging unfair competition. (symbol image)Image: keystone
The court ruled that Meta earned almost 5.3 billion euros from its online advertising activity in Spain over the five years that the violation lasted. Part of this money should now be “redistributed to the other competitors on the Spanish advertising market, including the Spanish online newspaper publishers”. The verdict had already been made on Wednesday. Meta also has to pay more than 60 million euros in statutory interest.
Media association had demanded even more
The media association AMI had demanded 551 million euros in damages from Meta for alleged violations of EU rules for online advertising. The Spanish media accused the US group of “systematically” violating EU law from May 2018 to July 2023 and thus creating unfair competitive conditions.
The background is that EU regulations require companies to obtain users’ consent before showing them personalized advertising based on the data the companies collect. While Spanish media companies had obtained this consent from users, Meta gained an unfair advantage, according to AMI. Meta denied any violation of EU regulations.
Spanish radio and television stations have filed a separate lawsuit against Meta – also alleging unfair competition – and are demanding 160 million euros in damages. There are similar allegations in France, where around 200 French media outlets filed a lawsuit against Meta in April of this year. (sda/awp/afp)
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