Facebook Sued for Scanning Private Messages

A California judge ruled on Tuesday that Facebook must face a class action lawsuit for scanning users’ private messages without consent. Judge Phyllis Hamilton of Oakland, California affirmed the validity of the suit that was filed two years ago, accusing Facebook of violating user privacy by gathering data from private messages to use for targeted advertising.

If Facebook is found guilty, it could be liable to pay damages of up to $10,000 to every user whose messages have been scanned. The social media site would also be obliged to halt all further private message scanning immediately.

Facebook generates the majority of its revenue through advertising, so the company is sure to fight the case. It argues that an exception in the US Federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act, protecting data interception for business reasons, applies in this case.

Source: The Next Web