A regional court in Cologne, Germany, has barred Snap from using personal data gathered through its My AI chatbot for advertising without a legal basis, Der Spiegel, heise online and the dpa news agency reported. The ruling came in a case brought by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband, or vzbv), Der Spiegel and dpa reported. Der Spiegel reported that the court ruled in mid-September. All three reports are in German, and the quotes below are translated.

My AI is built into Snapchat, and users can chat with it, Der Spiegel reported. Before first use, a notice warned users the bot could use what they share to personalize ads, Der Spiegel reported. "The chatbot poses as a friend on Snapchat and encourages people to feed it personal data," said Ramona Pop of vzbv, according to Der Spiegel and dpa (translated). The court rejected Snap's argument that users had forced the data on it, Der Spiegel and heise reported.

The judges also faulted Snapchat for presetting ad interests in alcohol and gambling, including for minors, Der Spiegel and dpa reported. Snap argued that its ad rules already bar such ads for minors, dpa reported. "At no time have we allowed advertising for alcohol or gambling services to be shown to minors," a Snap spokeswoman said, according to Der Spiegel (translated). Snapchat users must be at least 13, Der Spiegel reported.

heise reported that Snap could face a fine of up to 250,000 euros if it breaks the order. The ruling is not yet final, heise and dpa reported.

A Snap spokeswoman said the company has changed My AI since the suit was filed in 2024, including removing advertising, Der Spiegel reported. Snap plans to appeal, Der Spiegel reported. dpa reported that Snap did not answer its request for comment.

What we know: A Cologne court ruled that Snap may not use My AI chat data for ads without a legal basis.
What we don't: Whether a higher court will uphold the ruling on appeal.