Meta may face greater scrutiny from EU privacy watchdogs
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An advisor to the top European court issued a non-binding opinion that could embolden further action by EU privacy regulators against Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Advocate General Athanasios Rantos at the EU court of justice said antitrust authorities may also assess whether companies meet EU data protection rules during investigations. He noted that a company's compliance with privacy regulations may be an indication of its compliance with competition rules.
Meta (META) is already facing pressure from Germany's competition agency, which accused the firm of abusing its market power by collecting user data without consent. The authority ordered Meta to stop collecting user data, but the company challenged the ruling, arguing that the German antitrust agency overstepped its authority by addressing data protection concerns.
The Advocate General's latest opinions may empower the German antitrust watchdog and peers in other EU countries, particularly the data protection agency in Ireland, where Meta has its European headquarters.
A Meta (META) spokesperson said: "We await the final judgment to determine any next steps."
The EU court of justice will rule in the coming months, but has usually followed most of such recommendations.

META shares are down ~1% premarket