US judge orders Facebook privacy class action to proceed

A federal judge in the USA rejected Facebook’s arguments against a privacy class action, which was launched by individuals seeking damages in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. According to Reuters, while dismissing some claims, US District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco said users could try to hold Facebook liable under various federal and state laws for letting app developers and business partners harvest their personal data without their consent on a ‘widespread’ basis. In a 414-page complaint, users said Facebook misled them into thinking they had control over their personal data, when in fact the company let thousands of ‘preferred’ outsiders such as Airbnb, Lyft, and Netflix gain access.