Facebook users who had an active account from May 2007 to December 2022 could be in for an unexpected amount of money. This comes as part of the deal US$725 million accepted by Metathe parent company, in connection with the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The company led by Mark Zuckerberg agreed last December to pay one million dollars to settle a lengthy class action lawsuit that accused it of allowing Cambridge Analytica and related companies access users’ private information and generate manipulation campaigns.
The trial began four years ago, following international outrage over the company’s disclosure that the private information of as many as 87 million Facebook users had been obtained by Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that worked to the countryside. Donald Trump in 2016.
The California judge overseeing the case pre-approved the settlement late last month, and Facebook users You can now request a cash payment as part of an agreement.
The company that owns the social network has started informing users that their privacy has been violated through a notification on the platform, so that they can start the respective process.
The request form, which asks for some personal data and information about the user’s Facebook account, can be completed online or printed and mailed. It takes just a few minutes to fill out the form, which must be sent by August 25 to be included in the agreement.
Right now, any Facebook user in the US who had an active account anytime between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022 can join the class, including those who deleted their accounts.
What remains to know is the insured amount for each settlement payment. The fund will be distributed to those who submit valid claims based on how long they have an active Facebook account during the aforementioned period.
The final hearing to approve the agreement is scheduled for 7 September. California justice has assured that settlement payments will be distributed after court approval, provided there are no appeals.
Trial against Facebook for illegal dismissals
The problems for Meta, however, are not only in the United States. A Kenyan court on Thursday upheld its jurisdiction to try the alleged unlawful firings of 183 former Facebook content moderators in the African country.
“The court (Milimani Commercial, Nairobi) believes it has jurisdiction to determine the issue of the plaintiffs’ alleged unlawful and unjust termination of employment,” Judge Nduma Nderi ruled.
Nderi thus rejected the arguments of Meta’s legal team, who questioned the jurisdiction of the Kenyan court to hear the case during a preliminary hearing to a possible trial last week.
The 183 litigants accuse Meta and the outsourcing company Samasource Kenya EPZ (Sama), a company based in Kenya, of discrimination and violation of their rights.
They say they lost their jobs as content moderators on the social network after setting up a union last January.
As early as March 20, when the former moderators filed their lawsuit, Mutemi described this case as “the biggest legal challenge so far for Meta’s African operations.”
This isn’t the only litigation Meta is facing in Africa: on December 14, three litigants filed a lawsuit in Nairobi worth nearly 2,000 million euros against the company in relation to Facebook’s role in the spread of violence and discourse in Africa.
Source: Clarin
Linda Price is a tech expert at News Rebeat. With a deep understanding of the latest developments in the world of technology and a passion for innovation, Linda provides insightful and informative coverage of the cutting-edge advancements shaping our world.