Facebook sued over Cambridge Analytica data scandal in the UK

[steven36]

Facebook is being sued for failing to protect users' personal data in the Cambridge Analytica breach.

 

 

The scandal involved harvested Facebook data of 87 million people being used for advertising during elections.

 

Mass legal action is being launched against Facebook for misuse of information from almost one million users in England and Wales.

 

Facebook said it has not received any documents regarding this claim.

 

The group taking action - Facebook You Owe Us - follows a similar mass action law suit against Google.

 

Google You Owe Us, led by former Which? director Richard Lloyd, is also active for another alleged mass data breach.

 

Both represented by law firm Millberg London, the Google case is being heard in the Supreme Court in April next year.

 

The Facebook case will argue that by taking data without consent, the firm failed to meet their legal obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998.

 

"We have not received any documents regarding this claim. The Information Commissioner's Office investigation into these issues, which included seizing and interrogating Cambridge Analytica's servers, found no evidence that any UK or EU users' data was transferred by Dr Kogan to Cambridge Analytica," a Facebook company spokesperson said.

 

In October 2018, the UK's data protection watchdog fined Facebook £500,000 for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

 

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said Facebook had allowed a "serious breach" of the law.

 

Facebook apologised and allowed users to check which "banned apps" had accessed their data.

 

Although there is no precedent for such a mass legal action in the UK, there is in the US.

 

Google agreed to pay a record $22.5m (£16.8m) in a case brought by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on the same issue in 2012.

 

The company also settled out of court with a small number of British consumers.

'Pocket change'

Representative claimant in the case Alvin Carpio said: "When we use Facebook, we expect that our personal data is being used responsibly, transparently, and legally.

 

"By failing to protect our personal information from abuse, we believe that Facebook broke the law.

 

"Paying less than 0.01% of your annual revenue in fines - pocket change to Facebook - is clearly a punishment that does not fit the crime.

 

"Apologising for breaking the law is simply not enough.

 

"Facebook, you owe us honesty, responsibility and redress.

 

"We will fight to hold Facebook to account."

 

Source

[steven36]

Im glad im one of the 363 million people  and growing everyday in in North America that dont use Facebook we only have 196  million people been leaving since early 2018  here now only reason they have this many people  dont go out like they use too ,  the rest of the world may wake  up one day.

 

Quote

Facebook isn’t seeing the same slowdown everywhere, though, and the social network is continuing to add new users in Asia and its “rest of world” markets.

People have a short attention span nowadays   forums like nsane  the people spend  way more time than they do on social media its hit and run users mostly

[caraid]

On 10/31/2020 at 6:07 AM, steven36 said:

Im glad im one of the 363 million people  and growing everyday in in North America that dont use Facebook

 

I'm glad that you're glad that you're one of those who don't use Facebook. Great minds think alike, as the saying goes.

 

On 10/31/2020 at 6:07 AM, steven36 said:

People have a short attention span nowadays

 

Totally agree. This generation of youngsters is so hard-pressed for time.

[Arachnoid]

These 363 million may not use Facebook but most of their lives will be so integrated with some form of internet media or database that the tracing of their user data would be trivial in comparison to face books attempt. You cannot force the genie back into the bottle once its out.

[steven36]

13 minutes ago, Arachnoid said:

These 363 million may not use Facebook but most of their lives will be so integrated with some form of internet media or database that the tracing of their user data would be trivial in comparison to face books attempt. You cannot force the genie back into the bottle once its out.

That normally what someone would say to justify there own bad  OPSEC hygiene but it still no excuse  really .  I avoid  signing  into  all services  ran by big tech  i only use them signed out  with a vpn  so when they  try to track my data its 1000s of others on my ip  at any given time  and i change my ip servile times  a  day , I run a vpn  24/7 for years. I dont use big tech's  software i use open source software  and any services  i sign up too  i read  there  terms of services  before doing so.   Also I run UBO and  DDG AntiTracking  extensions.  I cant speak for  the  other 362 Million users  . I can only speak for myself  and you cant really speak for them ether because you dont know there user habits  unless  you live with them. Privacy has to be done in many layers to throw marketers off .It's a dog eat dog world were you  must look out for yourself  because if you dont no one else will .The masses are going to do what the masses are going to do .

[mp68terr]

6 minutes ago, steven36 said:

i read  there  terms of services

Wondering how many people do read and do understand these terms.

[steven36]

1 hour ago, mp68terr said:

Wondering how many people do read and do understand these terms.

Not Many or they wouldn't  have billions of users I stop using Google signed in  because they changed there terms of service in 2012 , In 2019 i made up a burner account with fake info and  a vpn to bypass limits with Google Drive  I hardly ever used it they blocked it  now they want a phone number so i stop signing in again  . I made up a burner account with Microsoft  they block me and want a phone number because I use a vpn . Facebook is the same way if you try to sign up with them using a vpn they want a phone number . if they require my real ip  or a phone number i avoid  them like there a  plague . Really you dont have to read there terms of service to see they require  to much personal info.  just use a desktop OS with a vpn and try to sign up to there services and when they want let you join  that should be enough to make any person that value privacy to avoid them.

 

PS: Instagram is worse than  Facebook even  if you try to visit there  site not signed in  using  a vpn  they block you from browsing the site they want to be able to track you  not signed in even. Spotify is the same way  as the others now ,  you cant use there site unless  you sign in they ban disposable  emails  and block you from signing up with a vpn. they track users by the kind of music they listen too .

 

All these sites  are ruining anti vpn protection  only way they will let you use there services signed in with  a vpn  is for you to give them a phone number  so they  know who they tracking when you use a vpn i don't fall for it.   If they was no pirate sites and apps  left to listen  and download music  i would listen to what i already  have and to internet radio and if   if there no internet radio  i have a real radio to listen too. Ill do it like  i done before the internet and the dial up days and i can do it again  before i give those greedy idiots my real info .They  can go find someone else to sponge off of.

 

 

[mp68terr]

This phone number story is even worst than that. Looks like in many countries one does not exist if he/she does not have a phone number, paperwork becomes a nightmare if one cannot give a phone number.

[steven36]

2 minutes ago, mp68terr said:

This phone number story is even worst than that. Looks like in many countries one does not exist if he/she does not have a phone number, paperwork becomes a nightmare if one cannot give a phone number.

In the EU in some places  i read were they making people use a id  or credit card  to watch 18+ videos on YouTube  you can still get around it using Youtube-DL  ,  Hooktube or a Invidious  instance but still that is crap .

[jbleck]

1 hour ago, mp68terr said:

This phone number story is even worst than that. Looks like in many countries one does not exist if he/she does not have a phone number, paperwork becomes a nightmare if one cannot give a phone number.

if you're not the manager though, that is only a formality... something they need to write there and you won't ever be bothered over the phone regarding any issue... someone from your workplace will call you or you'll receive real mail.

 

if they do try to contact you over the phone, they are mostly not taken seriously and even have a few "fuck you, don't ever call me again!" ... or sumthin' similar :P.

have someone else buy the sim card you're using too...

[jbleck]

1 minute ago, jbleck said:

if you're not the manager though, that is only a formality... something they need to write there and you won't ever be bothered over the phone regarding any issue... someone from your workplace will call you or you'll receive real mail.

 

if they do try to contact you over the phone, they are mostly not taken seriously and even have a few "fuck you, don't ever call me again!" ... or sumthin' similar :P.

just have someone else buy the sim card you're using (VPN for your SIM) 

 

[mp68terr]

17 minutes ago, jbleck said:

if you're not the manager though, that is only a formality... something they need to write there and you won't ever be bothered over the phone regarding any issue... someone from your workplace will call you or you'll receive real mail.

 

if they do try to contact you over the phone, they are mostly not taken seriously and even have a few "fuck you, don't ever call me again!" ... or sumthin' similar :P.

have someone else buy the sim card you're using too...

It has nothing to do with being called.

It's about forms where one must have a phone number in order for them to be processed.

[steven36]

22 minutes ago, jbleck said:

just have someone else buy the sim card you're using (VPN for your SIM

It wont really work  with these services because  they have even a older  method  they been using every since i used a vpn  soon as you change ip ranges they want you verify via a phone again , it use to be they just got you to answer a few questions  to unlock your account but now they  want you to verify via sms. Banks even force people to do this every so often but a land line will work with banks .

 

12 minutes ago, mp68terr said:

It's about forms where one must have a phone number in order for them to be processed.

Yes people  on desktop that dont have smart phones are screwed   but giving your phone number  is not a good idea no way best to use something  that not so privacy intrusive .

 

Its like Facebook  they plenty  of social media that will let you join with fake info  and they some that dont even ask for a email even.

[caraid]

14 hours ago, steven36 said:

In the EU in some places  i read were they making people use a id  or credit card  to watch 18+ videos on YouTube  you can still get around it using Youtube-DL  ,  Hooktube or a Invidious  instance but still that is crap .

 

In the EU, GDPR is applied and strictly enforced. I hope Google, Facebook, etc are penalized heavily for moving data of citizens/residents of EU countries to the USA.