Meta Platforms has agreed to a $50 million settlement, Australia's privacy watchdog said, closing long-drawn, expensive legal proceedings for the Facebook parent over the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner had alleged that personal information of some users was being disclosed to Facebook's personality quiz app, This is Your Digital Life, as part of the broader scandal.
The breaches were first reported by the Guardian in early 2018, and Facebook received fines from regulators in the United States and the UK in 2019.
Australia's privacy regulator has been caught up in the legal battle with Meta since 2020.
The personal data of 311,127 Australian Facebook users was "exposed to the risk of being disclosed" to consulting firm Cambridge Analytica and used for profiling purposes, according to the 2020 statement.
It convinced the High Court in March 2023 to not hear an appeal, which is considered to be a win that allowed the watchdog to continue its prosecution.
In June 2023, the country's federal court ordered Meta and the privacy commissioner to enter mediation.
"Today's settlement represents the largest ever payment dedicated to addressing concerns about the privacy of individuals in Australia," the Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said.
Cambridge Analytica, a British consulting firm, was known to have kept personal data of millions of Facebook users without their permission, before using the data predominantly for political advertising, including assisting Donald Trump and the Brexit campaign in the UK.
A Meta spokesperson told Reuters that the company had settled the lawsuit in Australia on a no admission basis, closing a chapter on allegations regarding past practices of the firm.
Impacted Australians will need to meet certain criteria, such as being in Australia for a period between 2013 and 2015, and being exposed to the app either directly or via friends having it.
“The payment scheme will be administered by a third-party administrator to be appointed by Meta,” the OAIC said.
“Details for accessing the payment scheme will be made public by the administrator in the second quarter of 2025.”
Australians can apply for a “base payment if they believe they experienced generalised concern or embarrassment because of the matter”, and a “specific payment” where they can “demonstrate they have suffered loss or damage.”
The OAIC said unspent funds would be paid to the Commonwealth.
Meta also contributed financially to the OAIC’s legal costs.
The OAIC said it had dropped potential civil penalties it had sought through the proceedings.
iTnews contributed to this news report.
