A class action lawsuit against Facebook was filed in Los Angeles federal court Wednesday, and is one of several that have been filed around the country.
A Navy veteran has joined with two other Southern Californians to file a class-action lawsuit against Facebook and others in the wake of revelations that the personal data of an estimated 87 million users was exposed in an alleged effort to help steer the 2016 presidential campaign. …The lawsuit accuses Facebook of failing to protect the personal information of its users, despite assurances on its site that users “own all of the content and information” they post on Facebook, and that users “can control how it is shared” by using the platform’s privacy settings.”This is false and misleading,” the lawsuit argues.
In this video, Florida attorney Mike Morgan of the Orlando Law firm Morgan and Morgan explains why his clients filed a lawsuit late last month.
More lawsuits may be filed after Facebook discloses to users if Cambridge Analytica accessed their data.
On Monday, April 9, Facebook will add a link to the top of each user’s news feed letting them know whether or not their information may have been “improperly shared” with Cambridge Analytica, which allegedly misused user data obtained through a third-party quiz app. The company, which worked with President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign, reportedly used that information to build psychological profiles used to target voters with ads.According to chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer, Facebook estimates that Cambridge Analytica’s practices impacted 87 million users, a figure that has risen several times since news of the scandal first broke. The majority of the impacted users are in the United States.Cambridge Analytica has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said in a statement last week that it only had data from 30 million users.
And more lawsuits may be just one of Facebook’s many worries.
The legal and regulatory pile-on threatens to deepen the company’s woes, as plaintiffs and government officials demand responses to subpoenas, which could potentially reveal more damaging information. And the headlines keep privacy concerns related to the world’s largest social media network fresh in the public eye, eroding its user base.”This is about reputation,” said Mark Berman, a New York lawyer who specializes in digital privacy issues and isn’t involved in the litigation. “Facebook has been tarnished, very badly, and people are going to leave it unless they become more transparent.”…Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican, added to the pressure on Facebook this week by issuing a wide-ranging civil investigation demand.The Missouri official said he has reason to believe Facebook violated state law by engaging in conduct involving “deception,” “fraud,” or “unfair practices.” Materials handed over in response to the probe could be disclosed to other state or federal law enforcement agencies, according to the document.
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