A German court has ordered U.S. tech giant Meta to pay €5,000 (approximately $5,888) to a Facebook user for violating European data protection regulations—a ruling that could pave the way for further complaints, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
اضافة اعلان
In a statement, the Leipzig Regional Court in eastern Germany said the “high fine” was due to Meta’s serious violation of European data protection law, citing the company’s commercial tools used to identify Facebook users and generate billions of dollars through targeted advertising.
According to the court, this practice violates EU law because it results in near-constant surveillance of users’ private lives—even when they are not actively using Facebook or Instagram, both owned by Meta.
Unlike other jurisdictions in Germany, the Leipzig court chose not to apply national privacy laws, relying solely on European Union regulations.
Meta may appeal the ruling before the Dresden Regional Court, also located in eastern Germany.
The Leipzig judge noted that Meta’s European platform, headquartered in Ireland, systematically transfers users’ personal data to third countries, including the United States, where the information is used on a scale unknown to users.
The court stated it “recognizes” that this decision may encourage many Facebook users to file lawsuits without needing to prove specific individual harm.
The ruling emphasized that the cited European data protection rules are explicitly designed to provide effective data protection through private lawsuits in civil courts, extending beyond purely administrative measures.
Meta has also announced it will appeal a separate record €200 million fine imposed by the European Commission in April for non-compliance with personal data regulations, calling the penalty “incorrect and unlawful.”
In the EU, Meta must obtain users' consent before merging data from its various services for advertising purposes. As a result, the company offers users either a paid, ad-free subscription or a free plan that involves data sharing.
However, Brussels ruled that this “pay or consent” model exerts undue pressure on users, compromising their freedom of choice.
In Germany, Meta is classified as a dominant player in its market by the Federal Cartel Office, like other tech giants such as Alphabet (Google), Amazon, and Apple—making it subject to potential additional penalties.
