EU data watchdogs ruling sharpens focus on Facebook, big tech

FILE PHOTO: Facebook logo in 3D in front of the EU flag, May 15, 2015. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) -Facebook and other Silicon Valley giants could face more scrutiny and potential sanctions in the European Union after the bloc's top court backed national privacy watchdogs to pursue them, even when they are not the lead regulators.

Consumer lobbying group BEUC welcomed Tuesday's ruling by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU), which backed the right of national agencies to act, citing enforcement bottlenecks.