Meta agrees to pay $9M to settle Quebec class action

Social media powerhouse Meta has agreed to pay $9 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed in Quebec where plaintiffs accused Facebook of violating its users’ privacy by sharing personal and private information with third parties without their consent.

The class action lawsuit, authorized in 2021 by the Superior Court, was filed on behalf of all Facebook users in Quebec since July 27, 2012. The plaintiffs behind the application are Stuart Thiel and Brianna Thicke.

In their motion, the plaintiffs argued that Facebook acted “unlawfully and with full knowledge of the violation of users’ rights.”

“Although Facebook has always claimed to respect the privacy rights of its users, over the past decade the company has provided third parties with unlawful access to vast amounts of personal and private information, without its users’ knowledge or consent,” the application read.

“These partnerships and data sharing practices, which affected hundreds of millions of users, allowed Facebook to expand its business operations and generate advertising revenue to the detriment of the contractual, statutory and human rights of Quebec residents,” the plaintiffs alleged.

Without admitting any liability, Meta – Facebook’s parent company – agreed to settle the class action for $9 million last August.

The proposed settlement, which will have to be approved by the courts, provides that this sum must be used to finance research and teaching activities aimed at promoting and protecting the right to privacy in Quebec in public universities.

So, once the legal fees are accounted for, the money would be divided equally between the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Concordia University and Laval University. The court could choose to add other educational institutions to this list.

The law firm leading this class action, Trudel Johnston & Lespérance, intends to seek 25 per cent of the total settlement amount, or $2.25 million, plus applicable disbursements and taxes. The court will be responsible for deciding the amount paid to the lawyers.

The settlement agreement will be presented to the Superior Court next February.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews