Facebook has just closed the “Cambridge Analytica” chapter of its history with a latest record fine of $725 million.
Facebook is one of the four new technology giants. Despite this special status, the company is not above the law. In particular, it must respect the privacy of users of the social network. Or, in 2018, the Cambridge Analytica scandal came to shake the institution Facebook.
When the case came out in the press, the entire Meta group was affected. The survey later proves that millions of users have been affected. Their personal data was used without their consent. This information was used in particular by the data analysis company Cambridge Analytica.
She has played a role in several political elections targeting voters with ultra personalized messages. This digital campaign was notably carried out during the Brexit vote, but also during the 2016 American presidential election which resulted in the victory of Donald Trump.
Facebook: a second and final condemnation
A case that will cost Facebook billions. Questioned by Congress, Mark Zuckerberg, founding president of the company, tried somehow to defend himself, but was unable to fight against the mountain of evidence. In total, Facebook receives a record fine of 5 billion dollars.
This highly publicized lawsuit, however, does not sign the end of Cambridge Analytica’s story for Facebook. Another lawsuit has been launched. This is a class action lawsuit with users leading the way. Main victims of this case, they will launch dozens of lawyers against Facebook. The digital giant, not wanting to go to trial, finally decided to pay 725 million dollars.
The latest chapter in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, this case finally allows the company to turn the page after four years of long and expensive procedures. According to the lawyers for the civil parties, “This major settlement will bring a considerable reduction to the people mentioned in this complex and unprecedented privacy protection case”.
Facebook is not in a position to fight
On the other side of the chessboard, Facebook also seems content with this status quo. By speeding up a lawsuit, the company smothers the case before it gets even more media coverage. One of the spokespersons for the firm explained in particular that it was the “best solution for the shareholders”. »
Facebook is not in a strong position and the brand is now suffering significant financial setbacks. With a fine of almost a billion dollars, the Meta group will still have to dip into its finances. The only advantage of such a settlement is to avoid the bad publicity created by a lawsuit against users of the social network.