Digital Agency Sues Meta Over Disabled Accounts
Indian digital advertising agency Blink Digital has sued Meta Platforms Inc. in the Bombay High Court. The agency is seeking damages and a declaration that the disabling of its accounts was illegal.
Digital advertising firm Blink Digital India has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. in the Bombay High Court. The suit concerns the disabling of four of the agency's Business Manager accounts, which are used to manage client ad accounts, pages, and campaigns across Facebook and Instagram.
Blink Digital is seeking a court declaration that the disabling of these accounts was illegal and is also claiming damages. According to a court order dated September 10, Meta has not provided reasons for the account closures. However, Meta's legal representative has assured the court that the company will preserve Blink Digital's data in accordance with the law until the next hearing, scheduled for October 12.
The agency initially filed its claim on September 8, seeking approximately 1.158 billion Indian rupees (around $14 million USD) in damages. A September 10 court order allowed Blink Digital to sue Meta Platforms Inc., the U.S. parent company, in Mumbai, despite the latter's operational base outside India. Blink's legal team argued that part of the dispute arose within Mumbai, where the agency received notification of the account suspensions.
This lawsuit highlights a broader pattern of similar issues faced by Indian businesses with Meta's platforms. Reports on social media and forums suggest automated account suspensions without clear justifications or opportunities for human review. Meta Platforms Inc. has not offered further comment on this specific case.
The case underscores the critical dependence of businesses on digital advertising platforms and the significant impact account suspensions can have on operations and revenue. The outcome could set a precedent for how such disputes are handled in India.