Facebook is set to face a class action lawsuit which will force the company to pay users around 3 billion pounds ($3.77 billion) in the UK. According to a report by news agency Reuters, a London tribunal has ruled that the social media giant abused its dominant position to monetise users’ personal data.
The report notes that a team of lawyers led by Liza Lovdahl Gormsen brought the case on behalf of around 45 million Facebook users in the UK.The lawsuit claims that users in the country were not properly compensated for the value of personal data they had to
The lawsuit also argues that users must get compensation for the economic value they would have received if Facebook was not in a dominant position in the market for social networks.
In 2023, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) refused to give the go-ahead to the case against Meta. However, now CAT has ruled that a revised claim put forward by Gormsen’s lawyers should be allowed to proceed towards a trial.
In a written ruling, Judge Marcus Smith said that a final hearing in the case could be heard in “the first half of 2026 at the latest”.
Apart from the case against Meta, CAT certified separate claims against Sony, Apple and major banks in 2023.
The report notes that a team of lawyers led by Liza Lovdahl Gormsen brought the case on behalf of around 45 million Facebook users in the UK.The lawsuit claims that users in the country were not properly compensated for the value of personal data they had to
The lawsuit also argues that users must get compensation for the economic value they would have received if Facebook was not in a dominant position in the market for social networks.
In 2023, the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) refused to give the go-ahead to the case against Meta. However, now CAT has ruled that a revised claim put forward by Gormsen’s lawyers should be allowed to proceed towards a trial.
In a written ruling, Judge Marcus Smith said that a final hearing in the case could be heard in “the first half of 2026 at the latest”.
Apart from the case against Meta, CAT certified separate claims against Sony, Apple and major banks in 2023.
What Meta has to say about the lawsuit
Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms, has denied the allegations and has claimed that the lawsuit is “entirely without merit”. The company also rejected the argument that claimed losses ignore the economic value Facebook provides to its users.
In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said that the company would “vigorously defend” the case.
“We are committed to giving people meaningful control of what information they share on our platforms and with, and already invest heavily to create tools that allow them to do so,” the spokesperson added.
. The lawsuit claims that Facebook abused its dominant position to monetise users' personal data. Find out more about the case and Facebook's response.){kind=link}