To settle a legal dispute over the violation of the privacy of 1.6 million users in the US, the Internet company Facebook pays 650 million dollars (538 million euros) in compensation. According to documents that the AFP news agency saw on Sunday, a federal court approved the agreement between Facebook and 1.6 million of its users in the state of Illinois.
Image: APA (AFP)
In 2015, the Chicago prosecutor charged Facebook with collecting biometric data for facial recognition, which happened without users' knowledge. She argued that the California internet giant's actions violated a 2008 Illinois privacy law.
After Facebook failed with its application to drop the case, the company promised to pay $ 550 million in January 2020 to settle the lawsuit. Judge James Donato rejected the sum as insufficient.
Donato described the amount of compensation that has now been agreed as “one of the highest comparisons ever for the violation of privacy”. It is a great success for consumers “in the hotly contested area of digital privacy”. Each affected user will receive at least $ 345 in compensation. Facebook was initially not available for comment.
