Data Breach: Facebook to Pay $725m Settlement

Facebook parent Meta has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a long-running...

Facebook parent Meta has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a long-running lawsuit that accused the social network of allowing third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, to access users’ private data.

The amount was disclosed in a court filing late on Thursday.

“The proposed settlement of $725,000,000 is the largest recovery ever achieved in a data privacy class action and the most Facebook has ever paid to resolve a private class action,” lawyers for the plaintiffs said in the filing.

Facebook has not admitted any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which must still be approved by a judge in the San Francisco division in the US District Court.

It was reported in August that Facebook had reached a preliminary agreement, although the amount and terms of the settlement were not then announced.

The lawsuit was initiated in 2018, when Facebook users accused the social network of violating privacy rules by sharing their data with third parties that included the British firm Cambridge Analytica, which had been linked to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Cambridge Analytica, which has since shut down, then collected and exploited the personal data of 87 million Facebook users without their consent, the lawsuit alleged.

That information was allegedly used to develop software to steer US voters in favor of Trump.

Facebook has since removed access to its data from thousands of apps suspected of abusing it, restricted the amount of information available to developers, and made it easier for users to calibrate restrictions on personal data sharing.

Federal authorities fined Facebook $5 billion in 2019 for misleading its users and imposed independent oversight of its personal data management.

TLD Newsletter

Get the latest legal news, key cases, top lawyers, and expert analysis for your legal journey.

RELATED ARTICLES

ECOWAS to Abolish Air Ticket Taxes in January

The Economic Community of West African States Commission has announced that all air ticket taxes

US Jails Two Nigerians for Romance Scam Leading to Victim’s Death

Two Nigerians, Chinagorom Onwumere and Stephen Anagor, have been sentenced to more than 13 years

50 Nigerians Arrested in India Drug Busts

No fewer than 50 Nigerians have been arrested in one of India’s largest coordinated crackdowns

UK Rejects Nigeria’s Request to Transfer Ekweremadu

The British Government has turned down a request by Nigeria to deport former Deputy Senate

UK Threatens Visa Bans Ahead of Asylum Overhaul

The United Kingdom (UK) government on Monday threatened visa bans on three African countries unless

Cement Maker Lafarge on Trial in France Over Jihadist Funding

Cement conglomerate Lafarge went on trial in France Tuesday, accused of paying the Islamic State

TLD Newsletter

Get the latest legal news, key cases, top lawyers, and expert analysis for your legal journey.

This Pop-up Is Included in the Theme
Best Choice for Creatives

Purchase Now

TLD Newsletter

Get the latest legal news, key cases, top lawyers, and expert analysis for your legal journey.