Activist wins privacy case against Meta over personal data on sexual orientation

The activist had complained that Facebook had processed personal data including information about his sexual orientation to target him with online advertising (Matt Rourke/AP)

The European Union’s top court has said social media company Meta cannot use public information about a user’s sexual orientation obtained outside its platforms for personalised advertising under the bloc’s strict data privacy rules.

The decision from the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg is a victory for Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, who has been a thorn in the side of Big Tech companies over their compliance with the 27-nation bloc’s data privacy rules.