Meta Platforms Ireland Limited – CJEU Judgment (Germany, 2022)
CJEU judgment — not a DPA enforcement action
This is a Court of Justice ruling, not an enforcement action by a data protection authority. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that consumer organizations can bring legal actions against companies like Meta for data protection breaches, even if no specific user's rights were violated. This decision means that organizations can help enforce data protection rules, not just individuals. It highlights the importance of companies ensuring their data practices are transparent and fair.
What happened
The Court of Justice ruled that consumer groups can sue companies for data protection breaches without needing a specific user's complaint.
Who was affected
Users of Facebook's App Centre whose data might be shared with third-party game providers without clear consent.
What the authority found
The Court held that national laws allowing consumer organizations to sue for data protection breaches are compatible with GDPR.
Why this matters
This ruling empowers consumer organizations to take legal action against companies for data protection issues, even without individual complaints. It underscores the need for businesses to maintain transparent data practices to avoid legal challenges.
GDPR Articles Cited
Meta Platforms Ireland (Meta) manages the social network Facebook in the European Union. Facebook Germany GmbH is a separate entity and “promotes the sale of advertising space on the internet address www.facebook.de”. Facebook contains a section called App Centre that allows users to access free games provided by third parties. While accessing these games, it is indicated that some personal data is shared with the gaming company, and the ability to publish data on behalf of the user is also given to the gaming company. Federal Union of Consumer Organisations and Associations, Germany (Federal Union) initiated an action for injunction before Regional Court, Berlin (Landgericht (LG) Berlin) in Germany claiming that the information provided by the games in the App Centre is unfair, and the ability of posting information on behalf of the user is a general condition that is to the disadvantage of the user. LG Berlin ruled against Meta, and this decision was appealed before the Higher Regional Court, Berlin (Kammergericht (KG) Berlin) which too was decided against Meta. Thereafter, Meta brought an appeal on a point of law before the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof (BGH), and the Court referred the following question for a preliminary ruling by the CJEU: “Do the rules in Chapter VIII, in particular in Article 80(1) and (2) and Article 84(1), of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 1 preclude national rules which – alongside the powers of intervention of the supervisory authorities responsible for monitoring and enforcing the Regulation and the options for legal redress for data subjects – empower, on the one hand, competitors and, on the other, associations, entities and chambers entitled under national law, to bring proceedings for breaches of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, independently of the infringement of specific rights of individual data subjects and without being mandated to do so by a data subject, against the infringer before the civil courts on the basis of the pr
Outcome
CJEU Judgment
A judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union, typically on a preliminary reference from a national court.
Related Cases (0)
No other cases found for Meta Platforms Ireland Limited in DE
This is the only recorded case for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Judgment Date
28 April 2022
Authority
Court of Justice of the European Union
GDPRhub ID
gdprhub-cjeu-4938About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited - Germany (2022). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
Last updated: