Facebook is Facing Class Action Suit by Max Schrems
Austrian law student and activist Max Schrems is creating waves all around the world. He is suing Facebook for privacy issues and have invited other facebook users outside U.S. and Canada to join him.
Schrems said that he plans to file a class action suit against Facebook over possible collaboration with U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). This collaboration between Facebook management and NSA for collecting personal data of its users has started a controversy everywhere.
Schrems had an impending case going in the court related to Facebook in European Court of Justice on the privacy issues and passing of personal information of European users to NSA.
Now, he has filed a class action claim in the commercial court of Vienna and is encouraging other users to join him in this campaign.
The class action suit which he filed demands damages on the behalf of global Facebook users for alleged privacy and data protection rights. It will soon turn out to be biggest and largest action taken for privacy ever in Europe.
Facebook is facing the heat recently due to cases regarding misleading investors, Prism programme, Beacon Programme and privacy.
The main points in the lawsuit filed by Schrems will be that Facebook Ireland is breaching the European law on user's data and tracking their usage of web through many means such as Like buttons.
After the information leaked by Edward Snowden, it is revealed Facebook is joining hands with NSA to transfer the user's personal data. In a way, NSA is monitoring the user's life as it is keeping the track of online behaviour and also has the information when the user is offline.
Facebook uses many data analysis tools for its users to gauge their online and offline behaviour and percolates the data to other organizations.
Back in 2011, Schrems demanded Facebook of all the information which it have about him in accordance with European Union data protection law. He received a 1200 PD F , detailing all the chats, Likes and even reject list of friends request.
As a result of Schrems' efforts, Facebook had to remove and deactivate its facial recognition tool from all over the world. These successes have motivated Schrems to file the class action suit on behalf of every Facebook user who is above 18 and residing outside USA and Canada.
Schrems will claim damage of around $670 per user who files for his support. It may affect 1.1 billion active Facebook users which is more than 84 per cent of its entire users base. So far, 5686 people are verified to join the campaign.
If things go Schrems' way, his financial backer and sponsor would receive 20 per cent of the damages allotted.