Facebook Photo-Scanning Suit Is a Multibillion-Dollar Threat

[Ink]

Content source

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-16/facebook-must-face-group-suit-claiming-it-stole-biometric-data

Facebook Inc. may have to pay a real price for claims it invaded users’ privacy: billions of dollars.

A federal judge ruled Monday that millions of the social network’s users can proceed as a group with claims that its photo-scanning technology violated an Illinois law by gathering and storing biometric data without their consent. Damages could be steep -- a fact that wasn’t lost on the judge, who was unsympathetic to Facebook’s arguments for limiting its legal exposure.

The case dates back to 2015, long before Facebook became mired in controversy over revelations that millions of its users’ private information fell into the hands of British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. It’s rare for consumers to win class-action status in privacy cases. In Facebook’s history, most such cases don’t get that far.

Facebook has for years encouraged users to tag people in photographs they upload in their personal posts and the social network stores the collected information. The company has used a program it calls DeepFace to match other photos of a person. Alphabet Inc.’s cloud-based Google Photos service uses similar technology and Google faces a lawsuit in Chicago like the one against Facebook in San Francisco federal court.

 

[upnorth]

the judge, who was unsympathetic to Facebook’s arguments

Spoiler

 

[ifacedown]

Well, I just wish Facebook to really suffer (or gain) the consequences of its actions. Actually, every user entitles Facebook to use his/her private information for whatever Facebook desires to use it. It is well-stated in its privacy policy, but of course users do not care to read that.

The CIA is so happy with Facebook, and so are many agencies and organizations. Anyway, I am thankful I don't have Facebook for so many years already. When I quit Facebook, there was more freedom I realised and felt in life.

 

[00alex00]

I wonder when will they all realize that Facebook is not the only culprit. Google, Yahoo, etc. They are all breaching data. As we discuss this.