https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/12/meta-to-pay-725-million-to-settle-cambridge-analytica-lawsuit/

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No admission of wrongdoing, natch --

Meta to pay $725 million to settle Cambridge Analytica lawsuit

Data harvested by Cambridge Analytica was used for political
campaigns.

Eric Bangeman - Dec 23, 2022 3:50 pm UTC

facebook logo next to cambridge analytica sigh
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Daniel Leal / Getty Images

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Meta, the parent company of Facebook, will pay $725 million to settle
a class-action lawsuit filed in 2018. The lawsuit came in the wake of
Facebook's revelation that it had improperly shared data on 87
million users with Cambridge Analytica, a British political
consultancy tied to former President Donald Trump's election
campaign.

Cambridge Analytica got its access to Facebook user data via an app
developed by a third party. While only around 270,000 Facebook
account-holders used the "This is Your Digital Life" app, the app's
permissions allowed it access to data on those users' friends. The
end result was a dataset covering 87 million users that the developer
than passed on to Cambridge Analytica, in contravention of Facebook's
terms of service. The vast majority of those in the dataset had not
given the consultancy firm permission to access their data.

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The unauthorized data sharing came to light in 2018, when reporters
from The New York Times and The Observer informed Facebook that
Cambridge Analytica still had copies of the data, even though the
UK-based firm had promised the social network back in 2015 that the
data would be deleted.

Cambridge Analytica filed for bankruptcy in May 2018 after
determining it was "no longer viable to continue operating the
business."

The lawsuit against Meta continued on, and other instances of
problematic data-sharing practices by Facebook were added to the
complaint. Indeed, the lawsuit accused Facebook of giving "numerous
third parties access to their Facebook content and information
without their consent, [and alleged] that Facebook failed to
adequately monitor the third parties' access to, and use of, that
information."

Meta is admitting to no wrongdoing or illegal activity by settling
the case. Instead, the company says the $725 million agreement, which
must still be approved by a judge, is "in the best interest of our
community and shareholders," a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.

Up to 280 million Facebook users are covered by the settlement, which
means that $725 million is going to be spread awfully thin after the
plaintiffs' attorneys take their 25 percent cut.

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Eric Bangeman Eric has been using personal computers since 1980 and
writing about them at Ars Technica since 2003, where he currently
serves as Managing Editor.
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