Meta's privacy obligations may be added to German antitrust probe, court adviser says

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Meta Platforms is seen in Davos, Switzerland, May 22, 2022. Picture taken May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Antitrust authorities may assess whether companies comply with EU data protection rules during their investigations, an adviser to Europe's top court said on Tuesday, dealing a possible blow to Meta Platforms in its fight against the German competition agency.

The non-binding opinion, if followed by the Court of the Justice of the Europe Union (CJEU) in the coming weeks, could further embolden the German enforcer and its peers in other EU countries to widen their scrutiny of Big Tech based on privacy rules.