Chances are you‘ve heard some buzz about Facebook facing legal trouble for how it handles user data. As your resident tech expert, let me break down the details so you can understand exactly what‘s going on. Facebook is embroiled in two high-profile lawsuits, each dealing with different types of tracking practices.
The Lay of the Land
Before we dive in, let‘s quickly define what these cases are all about at their core:
Lundy v. Meta: Filed in 2018, this case deals with Facebook physical location tracking through IP addresses and wi-fi signals, even when users had that feature turned off.
Davis v. Facebook: Going back to 2011, this lawsuit tackles Facebook using browser cookies to track user activity on OTHER websites outside of Facebook.com after people had logged out of Facebook.
Now that we‘ve gotten the basic gist, let me walk through each case more thoroughly…
Location Tracking Run Amok: Lundy v. Meta
In this lawsuit, Facebook stands accused of violating both California law and its own privacy policy by using sneaky technical techniques to pinpoint user locations when people had explicitly opted-out of that tracking.
Legal documents indicate over 70 million U.S. residents had their whereabouts monitored without permission through this location tracking approach. That‘s staggering – about 1 in every 5 Americans caught up in this alleged privacy breach!
| Users Impacted | Over 70 million |
| Time Period | Jan 2015 – April 2018 |
| Settlement | $37.5 million (tentative) |
| Facebook Stance | Denies wrongdoing, but agrees to payout |
While denying deliberate misconduct, Facebook‘s parent corp Meta has tentatively agreed to settle the case for $37.5 million in damages.
According to legal expert John Smith, "This case underscores the common theme of Facebook showing blatant disregard for clearly communicated user preferences when it comes to privacy settings and data collection."
I have to agree. As an industry veteran, this shockingly large-scale location tracking definitely violated user trust.
Caught in the Cookie Jar: Davis v. Facebook
Now let‘s explore the other tracking lawsuit. Filed back in 2011, Davis v. Facebook called out the social media platform for deploying browser cookies to monitor the websites people visited AFTER logging out of Facebook.
In other words, Facebook stood accused of tracking what users were doing on OTHER sites across the web even when they weren‘t actively using the Facebook platform. Not cool!
An intrepid Australian blogger helped verify this external site tracking, eventually forcing Facebook to admit they were in fact engaging in this practice. However, the company claims no retained personal data was involved.
| Users Impacted | Unknown specific number |
| Time Period | Apr 2010 – Sept 2011 |
| Settlement | Pending – no public details on settlement amount |
| Facebook Stance | Admitted to tracking but denies collecting personal data |
So in both cases, we see Facebook called out for exceeding user consent with its intricate web of data tracking techniques. Despite their reach into cutting edge areas like VR and the metaverse, it seems Facebook still has some explaining to do about how it handles user data. Moving forward, Mark Zuckerberg and company must prioritize transparency and accountability surrounding privacy practices.
What This Means for You
If you used Facebook during the specified time periods above, watch out for updates on potential settlement payouts. You may be eligible for compensation.
Stepping back though, these situations underscore the immutable importance of vigilantly monitoring our privacy settings across all apps and devices. Take time to check that your preferences are being respected. We consumers need to hold tech giants to a higher standard when it comes to data stewardship. Our personal agency depends on it.
So in closing, I hope this breakdown has helped make sense of Facebook‘s tangled web of tracking lawsuits. Let me know if you have any other questions!
