More than 80 Spanish media organisations allege that Facebook owner Meta breached EU data protection rules. Facebook owner Meta on Wednesday defended its advertising model in a 550-million-euro trial in Spain over alleged breaches of EU data protection rules brought by more than 80 Spanish media organisations. EU rules oblige companies to obtain users' consent to create personalised advertising from their data. Tools developed by Meta "are just as important or more so than the data per se", added Facebook representative David Saez. Spanish radio and television stations have launched a separate lawsuit against Meta for the same reasons, seeking 160 million euros in damages.