German antitrust watchdog may assess Meta’s privacy obligations, court adviser says

The Meta Platforms logo appears on May 22, 2022 in Davos, Switzerland. Photo taken on May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

BRUSSELS, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Antitrust authorities may assess companies during investigations in a case involving Meta Platforms (META.O) and Germany’s competition authority, an adviser to Europe’s top court said on Tuesday. Compliance with EU data protection rules. .

“Competition authorities may, in exercising their powers, take into account the compatibility of business practices with the General Data Protection Regulation,” General Athanasios Rantos, a defence lawyer at the Court of Justice of the European Union, said in a non-binding opinion.

“However, it must take into account any decision or investigation made by the competent authority under the regulation,” he said.

Cases are C252/21 Meta Platforms and others (General Conditions of Use for Social Networks).

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, with additional reporting by Marine Strauss in Brussels;

Our standard: Thomson Reuters fiduciary principles.