A Paris court has taken a decisive step in a high-profile online defamation case linked to Monaco, ordering Meta to reveal who was behind an anonymous Facebook account accused of targeting senior figures close to His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, La Lettre reports.
The ruling follows complaints lodged by three former members of the Prince’s inner circle after a short-lived blog and related Facebook page began circulating allegations against them in 2025. Judges concluded that the material published on Facebook could amount to defamation and psychological harassment, and that identifying the author was essential for the case to proceed.
The online posts appeared under the name Real Cactus de Monaco, echoing a blog launched earlier the same year. Though the blog was eventually taken offline, attempts to identify its author hit a dead end when information supplied by the hosting provider proved unreliable.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, the complainants shifted their focus to social media, arguing that Facebook held the only remaining trail to the individual responsible. The Paris court agreed, ruling that Meta must hand over the account data linked to the posts.
The affair sits within a broader pattern of anonymous online platforms and document leaks that have rattled the Principality in recent years, fuelling legal battles both in Monaco and France. With Meta now compelled to cooperate, investigators are expected to finally determine who was operating behind the screen — and whether criminal proceedings will follow.
For Silicon Valley’s social media giant, it is another reminder that anonymity ends where the courts decide it should.
