Meta to pay $725 million to settle Cambridge Analytica lawsuit
Meta to pay $725 million to settle Cambridge Analytica lawsuit
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Meta, Facebook's parent company, will pay $725 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed in 2018. The lawsuit came following Facebook's revelation that it inappropriately shared data on 87 million users with Cambridge Analytica, a UK political consultancy linked to former President Donald Trump's election campaign.
Cambridge Analytica gained access to Facebook user data through an application developed by a third party. While only about 270,000 Facebook account holders used the "This is Your Digital Life" app, the app's permissions allowed it to access data about those users' friends. The end result was a dataset covering 87 million users which the developer then passed on to Cambridge Analytica, in violation of Facebook's terms of service. The vast majority of people in the dataset had not given permission to the consultancy to access their data.
The unauthorized data sharing came to light in 2018, when reporters from The New York Times and The Observer informed Facebook that Cambridge Analytica still had copies of the data, even though the UK-based company promised the social network in 2015. that the data would be deleted.
Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy in May 2018 after determining it was "no longer viable to continue operating the business".
The lawsuit against Meta continued and other examples of problematic data sharing practices by Facebook were added to the complaint. Indeed, the lawsuit accused Facebook of giving "numerous third parties access to their Facebook content and information without their consent, [and alleged] that Facebook failed to adequately monitor access and 'use of this information by third parties'.
Meta does not admit any wrongdoing or illegal activity in settling the case. Instead, the company says the $725 million deal, which still needs to be approved by a judge, is "in the best interests of our community and our shareholders," a Meta spokesperson said. to Reuters.
Up to 280 million Facebook users are covered by the settlement, which means $725 million will be tossed around after plaintiffs' attorneys take their 25% cut.
Meta, Facebook's parent company, will pay $725 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed in 2018. The lawsuit came following Facebook's revelation that it inappropriately shared data on 87 million users with Cambridge Analytica, a UK political consultancy linked to former President Donald Trump's election campaign.
Cambridge Analytica gained access to Facebook user data through an application developed by a third party. While only about 270,000 Facebook account holders used the "This is Your Digital Life" app, the app's permissions allowed it to access data about those users' friends. The end result was a dataset covering 87 million users which the developer then passed on to Cambridge Analytica, in violation of Facebook's terms of service. The vast majority of people in the dataset had not given permission to the consultancy to access their data.
The unauthorized data sharing came to light in 2018, when reporters from The New York Times and The Observer informed Facebook that Cambridge Analytica still had copies of the data, even though the UK-based company promised the social network in 2015. that the data would be deleted.
Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy in May 2018 after determining it was "no longer viable to continue operating the business".
The lawsuit against Meta continued and other examples of problematic data sharing practices by Facebook were added to the complaint. Indeed, the lawsuit accused Facebook of giving "numerous third parties access to their Facebook content and information without their consent, [and alleged] that Facebook failed to adequately monitor access and 'use of this information by third parties'.
Meta does not admit any wrongdoing or illegal activity in settling the case. Instead, the company says the $725 million deal, which still needs to be approved by a judge, is "in the best interests of our community and our shareholders," a Meta spokesperson said. to Reuters.
Up to 280 million Facebook users are covered by the settlement, which means $725 million will be tossed around after plaintiffs' attorneys take their 25% cut.
Enlarge
Daniel Leal/Getty Images
