Meta faces £2.3bn lawsuit over data mining allegations

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Facebook parent company Meta is now facing a £2.3billion lawsuit in the UK after allegations that user data was used to boost profits and the company breached privacy laws. competition.

The multi-billion dollar case could mean up to 44 million users will receive compensation for damages, according to a competition expert, who launched the lawsuit.

Competition Law Forum director Dr Liza Lovdahl Gormsen, who launched the lawsuit, says Facebook abused its dominant market position by imposing unfair conditions on users to collect and exploit their personal data in order to generate revenue.

She argues that Facebook users are forced to agree to these terms if they want to continue accessing the platform – which many people have to do – and that it’s an unfair deal.

On top of that, she says that since Facebook is in a dominant position in the digital market, it should have a responsibility to behave ethically.

Meta has made the social media industry much less competitive in recent years, especially since acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp.

What happens next?

Meta recently faced a number of competition and data infringement lawsuits. However, Gormsen says competition authorities have only focused on how Meta’s dominance affects competitors, rather than how it affects consumers.

In this case, Facebook collected data within its platform to generate deep data profiles that could be sold or used to make money, and its position makes it difficult for consumers to have a free choice to opt out. the terms and conditions that allow the collection of data.

Dr Gormsen now intends to take the case to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London. A pre-action letter has been sent to Meta demanding a minimum of £2.3 billion on behalf of affected UK Facebook users who used the social media platform between 2015 and 2019.

The class action case argues that the UK Competition Act 1998. Gormsen will represent affected individuals, all individuals in the UK who used Facebook at least once between 2015 and 2019. Meta has been notified of the claim.

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