Meta data processing ruled unlawful in Germany
Facebook feature unlawfully processed non user data.
A Berlin court has ruled that Meta unlawfully processed personal data through its Facebook platform, including information belonging to non-users. Judges found the ‘Find Friends’ feature lacked a valid legal basis for handling third-party data.
The court determined that Meta acted as a data controller and could not rely on consent, contract or legitimate interests to justify the processing. Non-users had no reasonable expectation that their data would be collected or stored.
The German judges also ruled that personalised advertising based on platform data breached GDPR rules. The processing was not considered necessary for providing a social media service and lacked a lawful basis.
However, the court accepted that sensitive personal data entered by users could be processed with explicit consent under the GDPR. The ruling is under appeal and may shape future enforcement of the EU data protection law.
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