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New Facebook Group: "Join the Class Action Lawsuit...Against Facebook."
Sam Gustin asks: Did Facebook violate your privacy and commit computer fraud through its Beacon advertising platform?
If you think so, feel free to sign up for a new online group called: "Join the Class Action 'Beacon' Law Suit against Facebook."
On Facebook.
Facebook has been sued in California's North District Court over the company's controversial Beacon advertising program, which tracked users' commercial activity on the Web and shared that information with others in their network. Several of Facebook's commercial partners in the Beacon program, including Blockbuster, Fandango, and Overstock.com, are also named as defendants.
Facebook received a torrent of criticism after Beacon's launch, as users complained of a gross violation of privacy. Ultimately, the company changed the system from "opt-out" to "opt-in" and Zuckerberg apologized for the company's mishandling of the controversy.
The class action lawsuit filed this week accuses Facebook of violating online privacy laws and committing computer fraud by tracking users' online behavior before the company even notified them of the service. The lawsuit also alleges that the company tracked Web users who did not even belong to Facebook:
"The Beacon program sent information regarding specific user transactions on Facebook Beacon Activated Affiliates' websites to Facebook regardless of whether the user was a Facebook member or not. Thus, no consent was sought, nor was any consent obtained from persons who utilize the Facebook Beacon Activated Affiiliate's website who were not Facebook members..."
"It was deceptive because, in almost every instance, the information sharing was contrary to the stated privacy policies of the Facebook website and every other Facebook Beacon Activated Affiliate that had signed up for the program."
The legal prospects of this lawsuit are hazy; what's not is the potential bonanza in lawyers fees.
Facebook spokesman Matt Hicks told me a few minutes ago that the company hasn't been served with the lawsuit yet, but will "review it closely" when it receives a copy. And opt out.
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