Lawsuit against Meta demands €12 bil. compensation for Dutch Facebook, Instagram users

The Data Privacy Foundation (DPS) and Consumentenbond will file a lawsuit against Meta, demanding financial compensation for Dutch Facebook and Instagram users. They want Metal to pay every Dutch Facebook user 750 euros in compensation for privacy violations. They also demand 500 euros for every Facebook and Instagram user for illegally transferring their data to the United States. If the damage claim is granted for all Dutch users, the compensation could amount to over 12 billion euros, according to the Consumentenbond.

The privacy foundation and consumers’ association were in talks with Metal to discuss compensation, but the consultations led to nothing. “Unfortunately, Meta refuses to compensate affected consumers, even after the court ruled that Meta acted unlawfully. So we will have to go to court again to force compensation,” Sandra Molenaar of the Consumentenbond said.

Last year, the court in Amsterdam ruled that Meta had violated the privacy of Dutch Facebook users for years. It did not sufficiently inform consumers about what it did with their data, did not ask permission to use data for advertising purposes, and withheld essential information. According to the Consumentenbond, Meta is still guilty of these violations.

An Irish regulator also fined Meta 1.2 billion euros for violating the privacy rights of Facebook and Instagram users by forwarding their personal data to the United States for years without protection from U.S. government surveillance.

DPS and the Consumentenbond want Meta to compensate Dutch users for these violations. “Meta knowingly breaks the law and earns billions from it. As a result, users have lost control and authority over their data,” said Dick Bouma of DPS. “They run the risk of their data being misused and discriminated against in the future. Meta’s unlawful practices have limited users’ freedom of choice and violated their privacy rights.”

Molenaar thinks they have a good chance of winning this case. “The court in Amsterdam already ruled in our favor last year. And we also have rulings from the European Court of Justice and various supervisory authorities in our favor.”

Netherlands residents who have or had a Facebook account after 1 April 2010 and/or an Instagram account after 25 May 2018 can sign up to join the compensation lawsuit here.