In a case against Meta brought before German courts by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that consumer groups can autonomously sue companies for violations of the EU GDPR. In the case at hand, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations brought Meta’s Facebook before civil courts for violations of the GDPR. In 2020, Germany’s top civil court sought guidance from the CJEU on whether lawsuits to protect consumers from Big Tech violations of the Regulation are allowed. EU Court ruled that consumers’ associations can lodge a representative actions regardless of whether they have been mandated or not by one or more specific individuals, since this would pursue the spirit of the GDPR to ensure a high level of protection of personal data. Find the CJEU press release here.
