Meta condemned in Spain, will have to pay €479 million to media outlets for unfair competition

Bilbao (Spain), 20 Nov. (LaPresse) – In Spain, tech giant Meta has been ordered in the first instance to pay €479 million to 87 digital media publishers and press agencies belonging to the Media Association for unfair competition in advertising. The Commercial Court No. 15 of Madrid also ruled that Facebook’s parent company must pay €2,570,000 to the Europa Press Group and compensate Radio Blanca with €13,563. The court itself announced the news in a statement. According to the Spanish courts, the more than €5.281 billion that Meta earned in Spain in the five years between 25 May 2018 and 1 August 2023 was obtained in violation of the European Data Protection Regulation, which gave the giant a competitive advantage over the Spanish digital press in the advertising market.