The news that the now-defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested the personal data of 90 million users for targeted political ads during the UK’s Brexit referendum and the 2016 US presidential campaign was arguably Facebook’s biggest PR disaster to date (it’s had plenty). After a whistleblower’s allegations shocked Facebook in 2018, Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress and the Federal Trade Commission fined the firm $5 billion in July 2019. Facebook and Cambridge Analytica said they were innocent of any wrongdoing.
A class-action lawsuit was also brought about as a result of the event in 2018, on behalf of Facebook users who claimed the corporation had shared their personal information with third parties in violation of consumer privacy laws. The depositions for Zuckerberg and the other executives were scheduled to begin on September 20, but because Meta settled, they won’t be taking place.
In the court filing, the in-principle settlement was not described in terms of money or in any other way. However, it does urge the judge to postpone the case for 60 days while the plaintiffs’ and Meta’s legal teams complete the formal settlement agreement.
According to a second lawsuit filed last year, Facebook paid the FTC $4.9 billion so that Zuckerberg, Sandberg, and other officials could escape being named in the complaint, being subjected to personal culpability, and having to give testimony under oath.
To read our blog on “Zuckerberg’s Meta sued for stealing the trademark by another company named Meta,” click here.
