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A High Court judge on Thursday dismissed a privacy lawsuit filed by the District of Columbia that accused Meta of misleading consumers by improperly sharing data with third parties, including British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.
The decision is a rare one for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, as it battles lawsuits filed by federal, state, foreign regulators and consumers over disputes over privacy, antitrust and consumer protection. Victory.
Superior Court of Columbia Judge Maurice A. Roth said in his opinion that Facebook’s policy is to ensure that third parties “do not mislead reasonable consumers” under the district’s consumer protection laws. It has clearly disclosed how to obtain
Then-District Attorney General Karl Racine filed the lawsuit in 2018 after it was discovered that Cambridge Analytica had obtained the data of tens of millions of Facebook users without their consent, including users in the District of Columbia. woke up Racine accused Facebook of violating the district’s laws.
But Judge Ross said that Facebook not only properly notified users about how data could be shared with third parties, but also provided instructions on how to limit data sharing. He added that Facebook took appropriate steps to investigate and notify users after reports of Cambridge Analytica’s activities emerged.
“While school districts may disagree with Facebook’s approach to this situation, there is no legal basis for Facebook to act differently,” Judge Ross said. “Facebook has not materially misled consumers regarding their reaction to Cambridge Analytica.”
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision and are considering all options,” Gabriel Shoglow-Ruvenstein, a spokesperson for the District of Columbia’s attorney general’s office, said in a statement.
Mr. Mehta declined to comment.
Why it matters: This was a rare win in a debate that continues to plague the meta.
Meta faces legal troubles all over the world. The company has come under intense scrutiny and criticism over its handling of disinformation, privacy and competition. In part to change the meta narrative, the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is shifting focus to the so-called Metaverse, a virtual reality space, and artificial intelligence.
Not only does the dismissal of the District of Columbia lawsuit stand out against that backdrop, but Cambridge Analytica exposed one of Meta’s most enduring challenges: how Facebook user data leaks and spreads. It also stands out because it’s a rare victory in the privacy scandal of .
Lawmakers and regulators around the world have criticized Facebook’s handling of user data after the Cambridge Analytica scandal surfaced. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion for data privacy breaches related to the scandal. Last December, Meta agreed to a $750 million settlement to settle a class action lawsuit accusing the company of sharing data with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica. Last month, a Delaware judge rejected Facebook’s request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by shareholders over Cambridge Analytica’s use of data.
Background: Cambridge Analytica reveals Facebook privacy issues.
In 2010 Facebook launched a program called Open Graph to give developers access to social network data. Thousands of companies and researchers have taken advantage of this program.
One of the researchers, Alexander Kogan, created a quiz app for Facebook users in 2013 that collected data about Facebook users and their connections on Facebook for psychological profiling.
A 2018 news report said that Mr. Kogan provided Facebook data from 87 million users to Cambridge Analytica, which used the information to build political profiles for voter targeting by campaigns. It became clear that At that time, Facebook’s privacy practices and the use of data by others were not well understood. Cambridge Analytica’s revelations showed just how far Facebook user data can go.
