Consumer Advocacy Group Initiates Fresh Legal Action Against Meta for Personal Data Usage

The Consumers' Association along with the Data Privacy Foundation (DPS) has initiated a fresh legal action against Meta. Prior attempts by these organizations to negotiate compensation for users with Facebook's parent company did not yield results.

The organizations are demanding that Meta provides every Facebook user who joined the class action with 750 euros as compensation for 'all adverse effects of personal data collection and usage'. Furthermore, DPS is seeking 500 euros for each Facebook and Instagram user for 'the unlawful data transfer to the United States'. Moreover, DPS is urging the judge to grant Facebook users compensation 'according to the worth of their data that Meta has illegitimately utilized'.

The Consumers' Association notes that all individuals in the Netherlands who held a Facebook account after April 1, 2010, and wish to be considered for compensation are able to enroll in the legal action. Users who possessed a Facebook or Instagram account after May 25, 2018, and desire to claim compensation for data transfers to the United States can also participate. Users have the option to sign up for both compensatory claims. The Consumers' Association informs NU.nl that 250,000 individuals have registered for the collective lawsuit.

The Consumers' Association and DPS emerged victorious in a lawsuit against Facebook last year focused on personal data processing for advertising purposes. The court ruled this processing to be illegal. Facebook was found to have engaged in processing of sensitive personal data such as religious beliefs or sexual orientation without proper authorization. Although the lawsuit did not mandate compensation for users, Facebook was required to cover legal costs amounting to 17,743.01 euros.