As part of the 2018 user data breach lawsuit (including Cambridge Analytica), Meta agreed to pay $725 million to settle the charge. Despite the payment, Facebook's parent company did not admit any wrongdoing and is still waiting for the settlement to be approved by a federal judge.
Although the company led by Mark Zuckerberg had reported a preliminary agreement in August, neither the amount nor the terms and conditions of the agreement were known. This Thursday, after a court filing, the money to be paid out by Meta went public.
Data shared with third parties
The case began four years ago, when thousands of people with accounts on the platform complained that their private data was being shared with third parties. One group that benefited from the information is Cambridge Analytica, linked by some sectors to the 2016 presidential campaign.
Meta Oversight Board says "cross-checking" benefits influential users.https://t.co/QIZGwRJX2L #Meta #MarkZuckerberg
— Voz Media (@VozMediaUSA) December 7, 2022
Record agreement
While Facebook did not admit to the data breach, Dina El-Kassaby Luce, a spokeswoman for the company, said, "Over the past three years, we revamped our approach to privacy and implemented a comprehensive privacy program." In addition, she said that they sought the agreement because "it is the best thing" for the community.
The defense welcomed the deal and said it was "the largest recovery ever in a data privacy class action.” They added that it is the largest amount "Facebook has ever paid to settle a private class action lawsuit." Lead counsel for the plaintiffs are Derek Loeser and Lesley Weaver.
