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France’s antitrust authority has notified Meta Platforms Inc. of a potential breach of competition laws in the online advertising market. In a statement posted on Wednesday, July 9, the regulator accused Meta of exploiting its dominant position by limiting access to ad verification partnerships for ads it sells under allegedly opaque, discriminatory, and unfair terms. The notification, formally known as a statement of objections, does not determine the probe’s outcome. Meta will be allowed to respond and defend itself, the agency added. A Meta spokesperson in Paris did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Meta finds itself in trouble with the French media firms in the online advertising sector French media firms, including TF1, France TV, and BFM TV, sued Meta over allegedly illegal business methods, the law firms acting for the plaintiffs said. This was after a group of 67 media companies, which represent 200 publications, had filed a case in the Paris business tribunal court in April. They claimed  Meta’s leading position in the digital advertising market was largely due to illegal activities such as massive personal data collection and the utilization of targeted advertising. The company will also face trial this October in Spain over a 551 million euro complaint, equivalent to a $582 million complaint lodged by more than 80 media companies accusing it of unfair competition in advertising. Still, there are other complaints raised on Meta. In February, online rights activists lodged complaints in Europe over Meta’s ad practices, and earlier on, EU antitrust regulators fined Meta and Apple for what they said were breaches of EU law. The French media groups are being represented in the Paris case by US law firm Scott+Scott and French law firm Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier. It is not only the television companies involved, but also Figaro,…

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Filed under: News - @ July 10, 2025 3:24 am