Over 80 Spanish media outlets have collectively filed a $600 million lawsuit against Meta, accusing the company of ‘massive’ and ‘systematic’ use of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to favor advertisers unfairly.
The Association of Media of Information (AMI) alleges Meta violated EU data protection rules from 2018 to 2023, causing a reported $539.2 million in income loss for Spanish media.
AMI contends that Meta’s actions hinder journalism, impede investigations, and weakens the media’s ability to hold politicians accountable for corruption, potentially contributing to societal polarization. Director General of AMI, Irene Lanzaco, told VOA on Wednesday that society becomes more polarized, and people become less involved with their communities if they do not know what is going on.
This lawsuit marks a departure from traditional legal battles between social media companies and media organizations over intellectual property theft and related issues , introducing a new dimension that could set a precedent for future disputes between social media companies and media organizations.
