Meta Made Illegal Money by Misusing Facebook-Instagram user data, Fined $554 Million

The court acknowledged that Meta consistently violated the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. 

A Spanish court has imposed a €481 million (about $554 million) fine on Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, in a significant ruling. The court found that the company violated European laws by misusing Facebook and Instagram users' data, thereby generating significant advertising revenue through unjust means.

Madrid's Mercantile Court No. 15, delivering its verdict on November 20, 2025, determined that the amount will be awarded to 81 Spanish media organizations that claimed Meta's improper data use significantly harmed their online advertising revenue.

The company mishandled “highly sensitive data,” the court said in its written decision. "The illegal use of such a large amount of personal data gives Meta an advantage that the Spanish digital media industry cannot compete with."

The court acknowledged that Meta consistently violated the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules from 2018 to 2023. These regulations require companies to adopt stringent technical and management measures to protect user privacy.

75% women journalists are victims of online violence, one in four receives physical or death threats: UNESCO #journalists #Press #Womenjournalists #UNESCO https://t.co/jrqVCewViy

— VOiCE OF MEDIA (@voiceofmedia1) November 2, 2025

Meta updated its data-collection policy in 2023, after which its operations were deemed compliant with European standards. However, the court stated that violations had occurred for several years prior to this. It is estimated that the company generated at least €5.3 billion in ad revenue during this period.

Meta has announced it will appeal the ruling. The company stated that the allegations are baseless and misrepresent the functioning of the European advertising industry. Meta stated, "This claim is unfounded and provides no evidence of any harm. Meta complies with all laws and provides users with transparent choice and control."

This ruling adds another chapter to the ever-escalating tensions between European regulators and Big Tech companies. Last week, Spain's financial regulator also fined Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) €5 million for allowing an illegal crypto advertisement on the platform.

Previously, in 2024, the European Commission fined Meta approximately €800 million for Facebook Marketplace practices. In 2022, Irish regulators fined Meta 265 million euros.

The European Union enforces the strictest data-protection laws in the world. Tech companies have long sought to relax these rules, but the EU's stance remains strict. The Spanish court said the latest ruling could also impact ongoing cases in other European countries, particularly France, where a similar case against Meta is pending.