A coalition of 67 French media companies, representing over 200 publications, has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, alleging unlawful business practices in the digital advertising market.
The lawsuit, submitted to the Paris business tribunal, accuses Meta of exploiting its dominant market position through the unlawful collection and use of personal data for targeted advertising, France 24 reported.
The plaintiffs include major French media groups such as TF1, France Télévisions, BFM TV, Le Figaro, Lagardère, L’Express, La Dépêche, Libération, Radio France, and Centre France. According to legal representatives, this case marks a “historic first” in coordinated legal action by French media against a digital platform.
The media companies argue that Meta’s dominance is built on practices that violate European data protection regulations—specifically, the large-scale, unauthorized collection of users’ personal data. “Meta massively collected users’ personal data without informing them or seeking their consent,” said the lawyers, citing breaches of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
By leveraging this data to deliver ultra-targeted advertising, Meta allegedly secured a disproportionate share of advertising revenues, undercutting traditional media outlets. “Without Meta’s unfair practices, French media outlets would have received a significantly larger share of digital advertising investment,” the legal filing states.
The lawsuit further highlights that Meta, alongside Google, dominates the online advertising market. According to the claimants, the two tech giants together account for 75% of the digital advertising market and 90% of its growth. Advertising constitutes 98% of Meta’s global turnover.
This lawsuit adds to a growing wave of legal scrutiny and regulatory action against Meta across Europe. It also reflects mounting tensions between traditional media and dominant digital platforms over advertising revenue distribution and data privacy practices.
Meta has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit.
