Excerpt from PYMNTS Article, Published on November 20, 2025
A Spanish court ruled that Meta must pay €479 million for violating the GDPR and unfair competition laws. The case involved 87 Spanish digital media outlets. The court stated that the company used user data from Facebook and Instagram without proper consent. This decision marks one of the most significant GDPR – related judgments in Spain to date.
The ruling explained that Meta collected and processed user data for behavioral advertising. It claimed “contractual necessity” as the legal basis instead of asking users for clear permission. The court said this approach gave Meta an unfair edge in the digital advertising market. As a result, the company gained a competitive advantage that other advertisers could not match.
The judgment also highlighted that Meta benefited financially from this practice for five years. The court said the profits earned during that period came from improper data use. Because of this, the court ordered the company to compensate the affected media outlets. Moreover, the decision supports stronger enforcement of user-data rights in Europe.
Meta responded quickly and announced that it will appeal. The company argued that the ruling misinterprets how digital advertising works. It also said the claims do not reflect the reality of its practices. Despite this, the case adds to a growing list of data-privacy challenges the company faces in the EU.
In fact, a previous case in 2023 resulted in a record €1.2 billion fine from the Irish Data Protection Commission. That decision focused on the transfer of EU user data to the United States. Together, these rulings show how European regulators continue to tighten control over tech giants.
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