Meta Challenges EU Emergency Order On Targeted Advertising

Meta Platforms asked the General Court of the European Union to suspend an emergency order related to targeted advertising. The order was issued following action by the European Data Protection Board under rules of the General Data Protection Regulation.

The dispute concerns the use of personal data on platforms including Facebook and Instagram for targeted advertisements. Complaints were filed in 2018 by the privacy group None of Your Business, which alleged that Meta used personal data for advertising without a valid legal basis. The case was first examined by the Irish Data Protection Commission because Meta’s European headquarters are located in Ireland. Later, regulators in Norway triggered an emergency mechanism that led the Board to order Meta to stop processing certain personal data for behavioural advertising across Europe.

Judges of the court will issue a decision after reviewing arguments presented by both sides.