Meta Platforms(US:META) Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-11-22 13:01Core Viewpoint - A Spanish court has ordered Meta to pay $550 million to over 80 media organizations for unfair competition and violations of EU data protection regulations [1][3]. Group 1: Legal Proceedings - The Spanish Media Association filed a lawsuit against Meta in 2023, accusing the company of systematically and extensively using user personal data without consent from 2018 to 2023 [3]. - The court found that Meta's illegal processing of personal data provided it with a competitive advantage over domestic media, violating both the EU General Data Protection Regulation and Spanish antitrust laws [3]. - The judge estimated that Meta earned approximately $6 billion from advertising during the five-year period in question [3]. Group 2: Regulatory Context - The EU General Data Protection Regulation, effective since 2018, requires companies to obtain user consent for personalized advertising based on user data [5]. - This ruling marks the first direct compensation judgment against unfair competition and its impact on the media ecosystem, despite previous fines imposed on Meta and other tech companies for data privacy issues [5].