The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has received the case for final approval. According to Variety, the $90million fine will be distributed between those who can prove that they have been affected by Facebook’s web-tracking. Facebook and its parent company Meta have already faced hundreds of millions of dollars in fines in various countries. The company just faced a $650 million class-action litigation last year. If a court finalizes the lawsuit, it could become one of the largest data privacy settlements in the United States. Following this lawsuit, Facebook has agreed to delete all data obtained from tracking users’ cookies. Facebook has used proprietary browser plug-ins to see what websites people are visiting. The company was supposed to stop tracking while the user was logged out. However, it didn’t do so and continued to track users even after logging out.
Meta shows goodwill to settle the case
Regarding the case, a Meta spokesman told Variety, “Reaching a settlement in this case, which is more than a decade old, is in the best interest of our community and our shareholders, and we’re glad to move past this issue.” In 2020, the 9th Circuit announced that unlawful copying and monetization of personal data creates “economic harm.” Also, Facebook has not been a part of the communications it intercepted, and it required the user’s consent for tracking. Facebook’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was rejected, and the 9th Circuit ruling remained upheld. David Straite, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs and partner at DiCello Levitt Gutzler, said that “This settlement not only repairs harm done to Facebook users but sets a precedent for the future disposition of such matters.” Also, he said that they “are grateful to the Ninth Circuit for its watershed ruling, and to Facebook for negotiating this resolution in good faith.”
Government agencies become more sensitive to big tech data exploiting
In recent years, government agencies, courts, and the Senate have focused on big tech data exploiting more than ever. Companies like Google and Meta have faced numerous lawsuits regarding user privacy and data exploitation even outside the United States. Some sources recently reported that Meta might leave the EU due to the outdated data transfer agreement between the United States and the continent. However, the company partially denied the news.
