Student Files Privacy Class Action Suit Against Facebook
Source: Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
Austrian student Max Schrems sits at his computer, in Vienna, Austria on Oct. 10, 2011.
The Austrian law student who's been called the "thorn in Facebook's side" is not done taking the social network to court, and now wants you to join him.
On Friday, Max Schrems, 26, launched a class action suit against Facebook in Austria, inviting any user outside the U.S. and Canada to join ― which means around 1 billion users could potentially join his cause.
See also: The 26-Year-Old Montana Legislator Fighting for Your Online Privacy
Schrems filed the claim in an Austrian commercial court, alleging a series of privacy violations, including aiding the NSA in the PRISM surveillance program revealed by Edward Snowden, and requesting 500 euros (around $670) of damages per user.
"We want to show to the U.S. industry that they have to respect [European] fundamental rights if they want to do business in Europe,"
"We want to show to the U.S. industry that they have to respect [European] fundamental rights if they want to do business in Europe," Schrems told Mashable. "We love the technology, but we want to be able to use things without permanent worry for our privacy. Right now you have two options: live like in the stone age, or take action. We decided for the second."
This suit comes on the heels of Schrems's lawsuit against Facebook for its participation in PRISM, which he filed last year before the Irish Data Protection Commissioner (DPC). In the current suit, Schrems also claims Facebook is in violation of European data privacy laws for its "data use policy," for tracking users on third websites via Like buttons, and for monitoring users through "big data systems," among others.
Any adult Facebook user outside the United States and Canada can join the effort, according to Schrems. But anyone who is interested has to "actively" come forward, enlisting his name through the website Schrems set up ― using Facebook's login button to verify they are eligible. Once a user joins the suit, however, Schrems remains the only formal plaintiff and acts on behalf of the group.
After one hour, 100 users had already joined, according to Schrems.
This is just the latest in Schrems' legal actions against Facebook. The student is famous for being the first European to request Facebook to disclose all the information the social network had on him: he received a stack of 1,222 pages. In 2012, he also forced Facebook to abandon its photo-tagging suggestion feature in Europe, after he complained that the facial recognition software used for the feature violated people's privacy.
Facebook declined to comment on Schrems' lawsuit.
| }
|