EU acted like a fishing trawler in antitrust data searches, Meta lawyer says

LUXEMBOURG, June 1 (Reuters) – Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O) on Wednesday in contrast searches by EU antitrust regulators to a fishing tremendous trawler as watchdogs examine the proprietor of Fb’s information and on-line market.

Meta says it has already handed over greater than one million paperwork to the European Fee since its first request in 2019 relating to its Fb Market, social networking and on-line labeled adverts.

The corporate has, nevertheless, questioned the need and proportionality of the information requests and the explanations supplied by the watchdog. It has additionally criticised the company’s use of two,500 search phrases – together with “huge query”, “without cost” and “not good for us” – to trawl the corporate’s paperwork.

Meta, which faces an 8 million euro ($8.6 million) day by day penalty fee if it doesn’t adjust to the calls for, subsequently took its grievance to the Basic Courtroom, the EU’s second highest.

“One must put collectively the obscure nature of what’s beneath investigation with these terribly large ranging and normal search phrases,” Meta lawyer Daniel Jowell instructed the panel of 5 judges. “As soon as one does that, it’s, with respect, apparent what’s going on right here. It is a traditional fishing expedition.

“Certainly, we might go additional. The Fee is working like a fishing tremendous trawler, hoovering up the entire sea mattress – with the intention that it’s going to later see what species of uncommon fish it finds inside its huge nets,” Jowell mentioned.

The Fee dismissed the criticism.

“The allegation of a fishing expedition is manifestly unfounded,” the watchdog’s lawyer Giuseppe Conte instructed the courtroom, including that the Fee was investigating seven anti-competitive practices and had requested paperwork to be able to decide if there have been any infringements.

“The subject material was outlined in sufficiently clear phrases,” Conte mentioned.

He mentioned based mostly on case legislation the EU competitors company isn’t required to clarify the search phrases it makes use of and that it solely widened the variety of search phrases after Meta provided solely a handful of paperwork within the preliminary stage.

The courtroom will rule in coming months.

The instances are T-451/20 and T-452/20 Meta Platforms Eire v Fee.

($1 = 0.9332 euros)

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Modifying by Bradley Perrett and David Holmes

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