(RepublicanView.org) – Social media giant Facebook is currently lying in wait as the US Supreme Court weighs an ongoing case regarding the platform’s use of customer data.
SCOTUS justices agreed on June 10 to hear the case after a considerable number of shareholders claimed Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., deceived them about the fallout of its data harvesting practices and Cambridge Analytica partnership.
Facebook’s filing with the Supreme Court references a class action lawsuit stemming from a fraud case related to private securities. It blames Cambridge Analytica for “wrongful acquisition and misuse of Facebook user data” before the firm went out of business. The Court will determine whether the investor lawsuit should go forward or be tossed.
The lawsuit claims Facebook handed over the personal information of 87 million users to third parties without their knowledge. Meta agreed to a $725 million settlement in 2022, four years after the incident went viral. It also alleges that Meta illegally inflated the price of its stock shares.
That massive settlement also came three years after Facebook paid $100 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency accused Facebook of misleading investors about the use and distribution of their data. That was followed by another $5 billion payout to the Federal Trade Commission to conclude its investigation of Facebook’s policies. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also testified before Congress over the incident.
Meta is also being investigated by the European Union over concerns that its Facebook and Instagram platforms may have violated laws regarding child safety. Officials are accusing Meta of failing to properly protect children who use its platforms. It follows a massive set of government mandates over internet use that passed in 2023 with the goal of “cleaning up” digital platforms while protecting personal information, per AP.
SCOTUS is expected to hear arguments in the highly publicized Facebook v. Amalgamated Bank case in its next term.
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