Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, hundreds of thousands of individuals whose Facebook data was compromised may be compensated as Meta Inc. agreed to a $50 million settlement with Australia’s privacy regulator.
The Australian Information Commissioner’s Office (OAIC) announced the settlement on Tuesday, marking a significant step two years after a $725 million legal settlement was reached in the US in relation to the scandal.
Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tidd described the settlement as “the largest payment in history addressing privacy concerns for individuals in Australia.” She further stated that the resolution allows potentially affected Australians to seek redress through the Meta Payments Program and concludes a long court process.
In 2018, it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica harvested millions of Facebook profiles for various political campaigns. This included data collected through personality quiz apps on Facebook, impacting not only the quiz takers but also their Facebook friends.
The OAIC initiated a lawsuit in 2020 in Australia, alleging a breach of Australian user privacy. Court documents indicated that around 53 Australians had installed the quiz app “This is Your Digital Life,” but the data collection affected an estimated 311,127 individuals.
To be eligible for compensation, individuals must have had a Facebook account between November 2, 2013, and December 17, 2015, stayed in Australia for more than 30 days during that period, and either installed the This is Your Digital Life app or have been friends with someone who did.
The compensation process includes two stages of payment: a base payment for general concern or embarrassment, and an additional payment for proving loss or damage.
The OAIC anticipates that individuals will be able to apply for compensation in the second quarter of 2025 with the remaining $50 million paid into the federal Consolidated Revenue Fund. Meta also covered OAIC’s legal costs as part of the settlement.
A Meta spokesperson expressed that the settlement aims to address past allegations and focus on enhancing privacy practices in Meta’s current products and systems, ensuring users’ trust and satisfaction.
The delay in the Australian case was attributed to Meta challenging the jurisdiction of Australian regulators, a stance that was ultimately rejected by the high court.
Source: www.theguardian.com
