A Dutch privacy advocacy group filed a class-action lawsuit against US-based tech company AppLovin on Thursday, alleging the company unlawfully collected and traded the personal data of millions of Dutch users, including an estimated 1.5 million children, through hidden tracking software embedded in popular mobile applications. Amnesty International Netherlands backed the legal challenge.
The lawsuit, filed by The Privacy Collective, focuses on software allegedly integrated into widely used applications and games, including CapCut, Vinted and Subway Surfers. According to the claim, the tracking tools collected behavioral and personal information to build detailed user profiles later shared with hundreds of companies for advertising purposes. Rights groups argue that children were particularly exposed to commercial exploitation because large-scale profiling systems can influence and monetize minors without meaningful understanding or consent.
The lawsuit is expected to hinge on alleged violations of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which establishes strict rules governing the collection and use of personal information. Article 5 of the regulation requires that personal data be processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently, while limiting collection to specific and necessary purposes. Articles 6 and 7 further require organizations to establish a valid legal basis for processing data and ensure that user consent is freely given, informed, and unambiguous. Because the case involves the alleged collection of children’s data, Article 8, which provides heightened protections for minors using online information services, could become a key issue if courts determine that adequate safeguards were not in place. European courts have repeatedly emphasized that personal information cannot be subjected to arbitrary collection or processing without clear legal justification.
The lawsuit arrives amid wider debate in the Netherlands over surveillance and state data practices. Dutch authorities have recently faced criticism over citizen monitoring measures and questions regarding whether adequate legal authority existed for broad intelligence-gathering initiatives. Privacy advocates have argued that extensive profiling systems can create a “chilling effect,” discouraging individuals from exercising democratic freedoms and reducing public trust in digital platforms.
The Privacy Collective is reportedly seeking compensation of €1,500 for each affected child and €500 for each adult claimant, potentially placing damages in the billions of euros. Registration for claimants opened in late May 2026. The case may become one of the Netherlands’ largest privacy-related collective actions and could further test how Dutch courts interpret mass digital tracking practices under Europe’s evolving privacy framework.
