A judge has ruled that Facebook violates your privacy by sharing data with American servers. This is how you claim your compensation!
Facebook violates privacy by sharing data
Facebook has been in the news for years due to privacy violations and has already received several fines for this. For example, in 2019 the company had to pay 5 billion dollars (4.6 billion euros) in the United States because users’ personal data could easily be viewed by data companies. In 2021, Tim Cook also lashed out at the way Facebook collects data from users.
Also read: Tim Cook attacks Facebook’s revenue model for lack of user privacy
According to Cook, users have far too little privacy on Facebook. Last year the company was again given a huge fine, this time by the European Union’s privacy watchdog. It imposed a fine of 1.2 billion euros on Facebook for transferring the data of European Facebook users to American servers. That is exactly what you as a Dutch user can now submit a claim for.
Judge confirms privacy violation
The privacy watchdog states that the privacy of European users was violated when Facebook shared the data to regions outside Europe. This is not allowed, because Facebook does not sufficiently protect user data against, for example, American intelligence services. Furthermore, the company has not informed consumers at all about sharing this data.
In March last year, the judge in the Netherlands ruled that Facebook also violates the privacy of Dutch users. Facebook collects data from Dutch people on the platform, but does not make it clear why and for what purpose the data is processed. This court ruling now makes it possible to file a claim for damages with Facebook, but you must meet a number of conditions.
File a claim for damages against Facebook
It is now possible to request financial compensation for Facebook’s privacy violation through the Consumers’ Association. To this end, the Consumers’ Association, in collaboration with the European Union’s privacy watchdog, went to court again on March 1, 2024. This new lawsuit against Meta, the parent company behind Facebook and Instagram, demands compensation for Facebook users.
That is why you can now submit a claim for damages here via the Consumers’ Association. To be eligible for compensation, you must have used Facebook between April 1, 2010 and now and live in the Netherlands. The claim consists of two actions: one for Facebook using data for advertising, and one for sending the data to American servers.
Reimbursement still unclear
Submitting a claim for damages is easy, but you must create a free account with the Consumers’ Association. Then enter your Facebook username and answer the questions, you don’t have to do anything else. It is not yet clear how long the lawsuit against Meta will last. The Consumers’ Association demands 750 euros per Facebook user for using data for advertisements.
Also read: iPhone battery drains quickly? That’s because of Facebook (and here’s why)
To send data to American servers, 500 euros per user is required. Substantial amounts, but not all of it goes to the users who submit a claim for damages. It is still unclear how much you will ultimately receive, but it is advisable to apply for compensation. This way you will be in the register and you will automatically notice if you are entitled to something. Will there be no settlement between Meta and the Consumers’ Association? Then you don’t have to pay anything.
More damage claims possible
There are also claims for damages against other large organizations. You can also request compensation in a lawsuit against TikTok, which, like Facebook, does not handle user data properly. In that case it concerns a violation of privacy among children. There is also a case against Google. View here which other claims the Consumers’ Association handles!
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