Spain will investigate Meta over potential privacy violations affecting Facebook and Instagram users, as announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez this week.
- Spain will investigate Meta over potential privacy violations affecting Facebook and Instagram users, as announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez this week.
- Meta has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the investigation, which may have significant implications for the tech giant's operations in Europe.
In a strong statement, Sanchez asserted, “In Spain, the law is above any algorithm or any large technology platform. And anyone who violates our rights will pay the consequences.” The investigation is rooted in findings from international research, which suggests that Meta employed a concealed method to track the online activities of users on Android devices.
Meta has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the investigation, which may have significant implications for the tech giant’s operations in Europe.
The inquiry marks a notable point in Spain’s regulatory stance toward big tech, and it could complicate relations with the United States. This comes in the wake of criticism from the Trump administration regarding Spain’s NATO spending commitments and its diplomatic ties with China.
Sanchez’s office indicated that the investigation could reveal violations of several European Union laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the ePrivacy Directive, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the Digital Services Act (DSA).
In a further development, Meta will be required to provide testimony before a lower house committee in Spain. This scrutiny follows previous legal disputes between Meta and the European Commission, which recently highlighted issues around data access for researchers.
In 2024, the European Commission imposed a hefty fine of €798 million (approximately $923 million) on Meta for practices deemed abusive, particularly related to Facebook Marketplace. Additionally, the company faced charges last July for failing to comply with the DMA regarding its advertising model, which has been described as pay or consent.
