An Austrian court agreed to consider a potential class action lawsuit against Facebook for privacy violations. The case was brought by Austrian law graduate Max Schrems and includes 25, 000 plaintiffs from Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia. They are asking for a symbolic 500 euros each or $560 for the alleged illegal use of their personal data in the U.S. National Security Agency’s program PRISM, uncovered by Edward Snowden, according to the Daily Mail.
There are an additional 50, 000 other disgruntled users who may join in the class action lawsuit at a later date. Facebook has denied the claims, but has not issued an official statement, perhaps because it is waiting for a decision from the Austrian court whether the lawsuit will go forward. According to Schrem’s group Europe-v-Facebook, “Facebook claims that it cannot be sued anywhere effectively.” The group’s lawyer Wolfram Prokusch said, “We have reviewed all objections from Facebook in great detail and came to the conclusion that they lack any substance. It seems they are trying to delay the procedure with arguments that at times are bizarre.”
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