Consumer advocacy groups were allowed to file lawsuits over alleged data protection violations against internet giants, such as Facebook, even without a specific mandate from affected individuals.

 

The European Court of Justice (ECJ), EU’s highest court ruled in Luxembourg on Thursday.

 

ECJ clarified with its ruling that the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) does not stand in the way of consumer protection associations seeking to take legal action.

 

Thursday’s ruling is linked to a case before Germany’s Federal Court of Justice.

 

The German Federal Union of Consumer Organisations and Associations had sued Facebook’s owner, Meta Platforms, for alleged data protection violations in connection with free third-party games that can be accessed via Facebook.

 

In May 2020, the German court referred the case to the EU Court of Justice to determine whether a German regulation, according to which not only data protection commissioners may sue, but also consumer advocates, still applies under the GDPR.