EU Court Curbs Meta's Use of External Data in Ads

The European Union's highest court ruled that Meta, owner of Facebook, cannot use personal information related to a user's sexual orientation obtained outside its platforms for personalized advertising. This decision upholds European privacy rules, marking a win for privacy advocate Max Schrems.

The European Union's top court delivered a landmark decision on Friday, barring Meta from utilizing personal information about user sexual orientation collected outside its platforms for advertising.

This ruling, originating from the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, represents a significant victory for Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems. Schrems has long challenged large technology corporations on their compliance with the EU's GDPR data privacy regulations.

The decision comes after Austria's supreme court requested clarification on applying the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Schrems' complaint that Facebook targeted him with ads by processing data on his sexual orientation, despite him not revealing this on the platform.

(With inputs from agencies.)