Belgium: Issued ruling regarding lawsuit alleging unlawful shadow ban on Facebook (Meta v Tom Vandendriessche)

On 3 June 2024, the Court of Appeal in Ghent issued its ruling regarding a lawsuit alleging an unlawful shadow ban on Facebook (Meta v Tom Vandendriessche). Meta must pay EUR 27'279 to a Belgian politician for the advertising costs incurred due to a shadow ban imposed on his Facebook page from February to December 2021. Additionally, Meta must pay EUR 500 for reputational damage. The Court stated that Meta's actions reduced the page's organic reach and temporarily restricted the advertising account. The court found that Meta acted in bad faith and violated the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Meta specified that the measures were imposed due to the appellant's violation of Facebook's terms of service and community guidelines by posting content that falls under hate speech and harassment.