Meta to pay $9 million settlement in Quebec class action lawsuit
Social media giant Meta has agreed to pay $9 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed in Quebec. The lawsuit accused Facebook, now known as Meta, of violating the privacy of its users by sharing personal and private information with third parties without their consent.
The class action, authorized by the Superior Court in 2021, represented all Facebook users in Quebec since July 27, 2012. Stuart Thiel and Brianna Thicke were the plaintiffs in this case.
According to the plaintiffs, Facebook acted unlawfully and knowingly violated the rights of its users. They argued that despite Facebook’s claims to respect user privacy, the company provided third parties with unauthorized access to personal information for over a decade, impacting hundreds of millions of users.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, did not admit liability but agreed to settle the class action for $9 million in August. The settlement, subject to court approval, outlines that the funds will support research and teaching activities to promote and protect privacy rights in Quebec at public universities.
After deducting legal fees, the settlement money will be evenly distributed among Université du Québec à Montréal, Concordia University, and Université Laval, with the possibility of other educational institutions being included. The law firm leading the class action, Trudel Johnston & Lespérance, plans to request 25% of the total settlement amount.
The settlement agreement is scheduled to be presented to the Superior Court in February for approval. This report by The Canadian Press was originally published in French on December 10, 2024.
