This was reported by the Associated Press, Ukrinform reported.

In a statement, the Information Media Association accused Meta of “systematically and largely failing to comply” with EU data protection rules between May 2018 and July 2023, when they came into force. He stated that Meta repeatedly used personal data obtained without customers’ explicit consent.

The association, which represents dozens of newspapers, including major Spanish publications El País, El Mundo, ABC and La Vanguardia, is demanding 550 million euros ($600 million) from the social media giant.

The Spanish association stated that the use of personal data of users of Meta platforms (Instagram, Facebook), tracked without their consent, allows the company to obtain unfair competition when developing and presenting personalized ads, which constitutes unfair competition. The association called on advertisers in the public and private sectors to “entrust their advertising campaigns to safe, reliable and responsible media that respect the rights of citizens.”

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms have long used targeted advertising to generate revenue. This practice involves tracking individual online behavior, such as web browsing data and app usage, and then using this data to target ads to users.