Sarah Mirando  |  November 20, 2012

Category: Legal News

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Facebook Sponsored Stories SettlementUPDATE: A federal judge granted final approval to the Facebook Sponsored Stories class action settlement on August 26, 2013.

UPDATE 2: On Jan. 6, 2016, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court’s approval of the Facebook Sponsored Stories class action settlement.

UPDATE 3: On Nov. 17, 2016, Top Class Actions readers who submitted timely and valid claims for the Facebook settlement started receiving checks worth as much as $15. Congratulations to everyone who got PAID!

A federal judge said Thursday he would consider whether to preliminarily approve Facebook’s second attempt to settle allegations its Sponsored Stories advertising feature violated users’ privacy rights.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg rejected a proposed $20 million class action lawsuit settlement over Sponsored Stories, saying he had “serious concerns” with the fairness of the deal, which did not offer money to Facebook users. At a hearing Thursday in San Francisco federal court, however, Judge Seeborg seemed much less critical of the revised settlement and promised a ruling “very shortly.”

Under the revised Sponsored Stories settlement, submitted for Seeborg’s approval in October, Facebook is willing to pay up to $10 each to users who appeared in Sponsored Stories ads without their permission and will allow users more control over how their personal information is used. Facebook also agreed to pay $10 million in legal fees and $10 million to charity.

Facebook attorney Michael Rhodes said in court Thursday that the Sponsored Stories class action lawsuit settlement provided meaningful protections and that Seeborg’s job was to ensure a fair settlement – not write national privacy policy.

“Trust me, I’m not proposing to set grand policy with privacy issues writ large,” Seeborg said.

Plaintiff attorney Robert Arns also defended the deal, saying it balances the public good with Facebook’s ability to run a profitable social networking service.

“We believe we cracked the code so that it’s fair,” Arns said.

The Facebook Sponsored Stories Class Action Lawsuit Settlement case is Angel Fraley, et al. v. Facebook, Inc., Case No. 11-cv-1726, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.

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7 thoughts onJudge Considering New Facebook Sponsored Stories Settlement

  1. Top Class Actions says:

    UPDATE 3: On Nov. 17, 2016, Top Class Actions readers who submitted timely and valid claims for the Facebook settlement started receiving checks worth as much as $15. Congratulations to everyone who got PAID!

  2. Top Class Actions says:

    UPDATE 2: On Jan. 6, 2016, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court’s approval of the Facebook Sponsored Stories class action settlement.

  3. Danielle Westfield says:

    Me personally Im glad the judge rejected this offer of up to 10.00 I received a notice of class in my e-mail an i was just disgusted at the amount of restitution that FACEBOOK was offering being that i was a target for harassment from the ppl that was on my friends list an facebook IT techs. I had to deactivate my page because FACEBOOK allowed the harassment to cont even tho I had reported this to FACEBOOK security. I was subject to my life being posted on the internet an friends turning against me because they received a inbox message from the ppl of facebook letting them know that this was okay for them do ppl trying to discredit an humiliate me. After I deleted my page over two and 1/2 months ago i was still being harass by the IT TECH of FACEBOOK. I would log into my yahoo account only to find that FACEBOOK was still harassing by putting facebook pop-ups on my page. (I took pictures of this for proof) I also had my mailbox remove from my home while all the harassment from FACEBOOK was going. Just the other day 01/21/2013, I received 6 harassing text messages to phone that said 32665:43883 es tu codigo de confimacion, o ve a http://fb.me/1/Wzx3N9KulCCTD. all these text came at nite back to back while I was trying to sleep. I feel facebook should be held accountable for what they allow ppl to do on their SITE. And I also think that the IT TECH should be held accountable for their part in the harassment…. It is not right on fair for facebook to put someone under attack in the way that I was an still being harass til this day and my page is and has been deactivate for a while now. I feel facebook was wrong in every sense of the word. I watched the NETWORK an I was a victim of the same harassment that was depicted in the movie , I feel that this was premeditated, an facebook should be held accountable. Facebook should not be allow to donate the money to charity that should pay the victims like (me) for the humiliation and the embrassment that they allowed to happen, I know I’M not the only one. And I feel the sponsored stories about me was only to attack my character. (Defamation)

  4. Jason Woodruff says:

    how do we find out if are information was used

  5. Anonymous says:

    I would like to know myself how a person would find out if their picture,name etc. has been use on facebook w/o their knowledge.

  6. Anonymous says:

    How does a person know if they used they name, picture etc. without my knowledge? I have been a FB user for several years now.
    Any response will be appreciated!
    Thanks
    Eva Lea

  7. Anonymous says:

    how do i join the lawsuit for facebook?

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