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Meta in court: what could be really expensive now

The US company Meta - known for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and, more recently, the "Metaverse" - is under massive legal fire. An Austrian consumer protection association and the Berlin lawyer Max Baumeister have filed a class action lawsuit worth billions with the Hamburg Higher Regional Court. The accusation: massive data protection violations, some of which concern "the most intimate information" - even for people who were never consciously in contact with Meta.

The trial begins on October 10, 2025. And if the suspicions are confirmed, it could be really expensive for Meta - and have far-reaching consequences for all internet users in Europe.

Intimate data, no login - and still monitored?

Meta is suspected of using so-called "business tools" to collect highly sensitive data - including information on health, religion, sexuality and political views. Particularly explosive: this data is also said to come from unregistered persons. Sounds absurd? But it's not.

This is because many websites and apps have secretly integrated Facebook & Co in the background - e.g. via Like buttons, tracking pixels or log-in services. This is how data flows to Meta - even if you don't have an account. Users are usually unaware of this.

5,000 per adult, €10,000 per child?

The lawsuit is based on a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice (case no. C-252/21), which explicitly prohibited Meta from processing personal data without consent in June 2023. A further ruling from Leipzig in July 2025 (individual case with €5,000 in damages) is now seen as a door opener for the class action.

The claim:

• 5,000 € compensation for each adult,
• 10,000 for each minor,
• Deletion of all illegally collected data,
• Disabling the services used for this purpose.

If the court goes along even partially, this could trigger a wave - and mean a bill in the billions for Meta.

Meta: Is everything half as bad?

Of course, the Group denies all allegations - as usual. It is complying with applicable data protection law and will "defend itself by all means" against the lawsuit. However, the numerous judgments of recent years show that Meta has not always been able to get away with this.

Because the fact is: Meta earns money from data. A lot. A lot. And anyone who makes a profit from personal information has to put up with the fact that it is being looked at. Especially if the users didn't even know that they were affected.

It has to hurt at some point - even with data

Data protection is no longer a fig leaf, but a genuine fundamental right. And anyone who sticks to the gray area for years should not be surprised when things go wrong at some point. Meta has long relied on "we'll manage somehow" in Europe - now it's paying the price. And rightly so.

The fact that data was collected without consent is not an industrial accident, but a system. And when this system also affects people who have never given their consent or even registered, it becomes extremely dangerous. No PR campaign will help.

If the company doesn't follow the rules, a court has to set clear ones - and that can't be expensive enough.