A landmark trial in which Spanish media outlets are seeking more than 550 million euros from Facebook owner Meta over alleged breaches of EU data protection rules heard closing arguments Thursday.
鈥楾he case is now ready for judgment,鈥� Judge Teodoro Ladron Roda said at the end of the second and final day of proceedings at a Madrid commercial court.
A ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
Spain鈥檚 main media association, AMI, argues the US tech giant breached European data protection regulations by using internet users鈥� data without consent to create personalised advertising profiles.
AMI filed the lawsuit in 2023 against Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, alleging unfair competition in digital advertising sales and seeking 鈧�551 million ($647 million) in compensation.
Spanish media that complied with the regulations were placed at a competitive disadvantage, AMI argues.
鈥業n defending this case, we are defending our very existence, because press freedom is fundamental to society,鈥� AMI鈥檚 lawyer Nicolas Gonzalez Cuellar said in his closing arguments.
鈥榃e need a pluralistic media, not oligarchic platforms dominating the market,鈥� he added.
Meta鈥檚 lawyer, Javier de Carvajal, urged the court to dismiss the claims, calling them 鈥榰nsupported by evidence鈥�.
The US tech giant maintains that it 鈥榗omplies with all applicable laws鈥� and regards the lawsuit as 鈥榰nfounded鈥�, arguing it ignores the recent evolution of the advertising industry.
Meta executives told Wednesday鈥檚 hearing that user data mattered less than algorithms to generate personalised advertising.
Media groups represented by AMI include Prisa, owner of Spain鈥檚 top-selling daily newspaper El Pais; Godo, publisher of the Barcelona-based daily La Vanguardia; Vocento, which publishes the conservative daily ABC; and Unidad Editorial, whose titles include El Mundo and sports daily Marca.
Spanish radio and television stations have launched a separate lawsuit against Meta for the same reasons, seeking 160 million euros in damages.
A similar lawsuit has also emerged in France, where around 200 media groups, including major television networks and leading newspapers, filed legal action against Meta in April.
