Facebook parent Meta will pay $725M to settle user data case
San Francisco (AP): Facebook's corporate parent has agreed to pay 725 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the world's largest social media platform allowed millions of its users' personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump's victorious presidential campaign in 2016.
Terms of the settlement reached by Meta Platforms, the holding company for Facebook and Instagram, were disclosed in court documents filed late Thursday. It will still need to be approved by a judge in a San Francisco federal court hearing set for March.
The case sprang from 2018 revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a firm with ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon, had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million users of the platform. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign that culminated in Trump's election as the 45th president.
Uproar over the revelations led to a contrite Zuckerberg being grilled by U.S. lawmakers during a high-profile congressional hearing and spurred calls for people to delete their Facebook accounts. Even though Facebook's growth has stalled as more people connect and entertain themselves on rival services such as TikTok, the social network still boasts about 2 billion users worldwide, including nearly 200 million in the U.S. and Canada.
The lawsuit, which had been seeking to be certified as a class action representing Facebook users, had asserted the privacy breach proved Facebook is a "data broker and surveillance firm," as well as a social network.
The two sides reached a temporary settlement agreement in August, just a few weeks before a Sept. 20 deadline for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his long-time chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, to submit to depositions.
The company based in Menlo Park, California, said in statement Friday it pursued a settlement because it was in the best interest of its community and shareholders.
"Over the last three years we revamped our approach to privacy and implemented a comprehensive privacy program," said spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby Luce. "We look forward to continuing to build services people love and trust with privacy at the forefront."
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Insensitive towards Tamil Nadu: DMK MP Kanimozhi urges rescheduling of UGC NET exam
Chennai: DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, urging an immediate change in the dates of the UGC NET exam, scheduled for January 15 and 16, which coincides with Pongal.
In her letter, Kanimozhi criticised the decision, calling it insensitive to the cultural sentiments of Tamil Nadu. She also pointed out that this is not the first instance, citing a similar clash with CA exams earlier. "This lack of consideration is becoming a pattern," she remarked.
Kanimozhi took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her letter, stating that Pongal is more than a festival, it represents Tamil pride and identity. She accused the Union Government of neglecting Tamil Nadu's cultural values and demanded an immediate rescheduling of the exam.
She further wrote, "Once again, the Union Government has exposed its blatant disregard for our state and its people. Students should not be forced to choose between their education and tradition."
தமிழ்நாட்டின் பாரம்பரியத் திருவிழாவான பொங்கல் (ஜன 15,16) நாளில் பல்கலைக்கழக மானியக் குழுவின் (UGC) - பேராசிரியர் தகுதித் தேர்வு (NET) நடத்துவதற்கான முடிவைத் திரும்பப் பெற வேண்டும் என்று ஒன்றிய கல்வித்துறை அமைச்சர் @dpradhanbjp அவர்களுக்குக் கடிதம் எழுதியுள்ளேன்.
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) December 22, 2024
சமீபத்தில்தான்,… pic.twitter.com/SxMwpasXXp
