Search

Meta Loses Antitrust Case in Top EU Court Over 2019 German Privacy Breach Checks

In response to the ruling a Meta spokesperson said: "We are evaluating the Court's decision and will have more to say in due course."

Advertisement
Highlights
  • The case looked at whether the German antitrust agency overstepped
  • The German cartel office welcomed the ruling
  • EU's General Data Protection Regulation is a privacy and security law
Meta Loses Antitrust Case in Top EU Court Over 2019 German Privacy Breach Checks

Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, initially challenged the finding

Photo Credit: Reuters

Antitrust authorities overseeing firms such as Facebook owner Meta Platforms are entitled to also assess privacy breaches, Europe's top court ruled on Tuesday, potentially handing them more leeway in Big Tech probes.

The ruling followed a challenge by Meta after the German cartel office in 2019 ordered the social media giant to stop collecting users' data without their consent, calling the practice an abuse of market power.

The case before the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) looked at whether the German antitrust agency overstepped its authority by using its antitrust power to address data protection concerns, which are the remit of national data protection authorities.

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, challenged the finding, prompting a German court to seek advice from the CJEU.

In response to the ruling, a Meta spokesperson said: "We are evaluating the Court's decision and will have more to say in due course."

The CJEU judges said regarding antitrust investigations that "it may be necessary for the competition authority of the member state concerned also to examine whether that undertaking's conduct complies with rules other than those relating to competition law.

The CJEU, however, said antitrust regulators must "take into consideration any decision or investigation by the competent supervisory authority pursuant to that regulation".

The German cartel office welcomed the ruling.

"Data is a decisive factor in establishing market power. The use of the very personal data of consumers by the large internet companies can also be abusive under antitrust law," its head, Andreas Mundt, said.

Thomas Graf, a partner at law firm Cleary Gottlieb, was more cautious about whether antitrust authorities would want to go into the details of privacy law.

"You still need to explain why it is relevant for antitrust law and demonstrate restrictive effects and abuse, and they will need to coordinate with the GDPR authorities," he said.

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a privacy and security law that imposes obligations on organisations anywhere that target or collect data related to people in the EU.

"Are antitrust authorities going to become GDPR regulators? I don't think so," Graf said.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) also welcomed the ruling: "In a complex digitalised economy, more than ever we need authorities to think outside the box and to consider data protection," BEUC Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl said.

The case is C-252/21 Meta Platforms and others (User conditions for a social network).

© Thomson Reuters 2023


From the Nothing Phone 2 to the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, several new smartphones are expected to make their debeut in July. We discuss all of the most exciting smartphones coming this month and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

 
Show Full Article
Please wait...
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. IPL 2025 Live Streaming for Free: How to Watch CSK vs MI IPL Match Online?
  1. WhatsApp Reportedly Working on Support for Motion Photos on Android
  2. Honor Pad X9a With 11.5-inch LCD Screen, Snapdragon 685 SoC Launched
  3. Oppo Find X8s, Find X8+ Specifications Leaked; Said to Arrive With Dimensity 9400+ Chip
  4. iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max Glass-Aluminium Rear Panel Design Spotted on New Dummy Units
  5. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy Tab S10 FE Surface on Geekbench Ahead of Debut
  6. Tencent T1 Reasoning Model Launched Amid Growing AI Competition in China
  7. SEBI Directs Intermediaries to Use Registered Contact Details for Advertising on Social Media Platforms
  8. Swag Telugu Movie Now Streaming on Prime Video: Everything You Need to Know
  9. Dhanush’s NEEK Now Available on Prime Video: A Romantic Drama on Love and Heartbreak
  10. Happy Face Now Streaming on JioHotstar: Everything You Need to Know
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
App Store App Store
Available in Hindi
App Store
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »