Meta agrees to pay $9 million to settle Quebec class action lawsuit

According to the plaintiffs, Facebook acted illegally and with full knowledge of the violation of its users' rights. The Meta logo in Paris on June 14, 2023. (The Associated Press/Thibault Camus)

Social media giant Meta has agreed to pay $9 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed in Quebec in which the plaintiffs accused Facebook of violating the privacy of its users by sharing personal and private information with third parties without their consent.

The class action, authorized in 2021 by the Superior Court, was brought on behalf of all Facebook users in Quebec since 27 July 2012. The plaintiffs are Stuart Thiel and Brianna Thicke.

In their motion, the plaintiffs argued that Facebook acted "unlawfully and with full knowledge of the violation of users' rights."

"Although Facebook has always claimed to respect the privacy rights of its users, over the past decade the company has provided third parties with unlawful access to vast amounts of personal and private information, without the knowledge or consent of its users," the application read.

"These partnerships and data-sharing practices, which have affected hundreds of millions of users, have allowed Facebook to expand its commercial activities and generate advertising revenues to the detriment of the contractual, statutory and human rights of Quebec residents," the plaintiffs alleged.

Without admitting any liability, Meta - Facebook's parent company - agreed to settle the class action for $9 million last August. The existence of this agreement was revealed in the last few days.

The proposed settlement, which will have to be approved by the courts, stipulates that this sum is to be used to fund research and teaching activities aimed at promoting and protecting privacy rights in Quebec at public universities.

Once the legal fees have been retained, the money will be divided equally between the Université du Québec à Montréal, Concordia University, and Université Laval. The court could choose to add other educational institutions to this list.

The law firm leading the class action, Trudel Johnston & Lespérance, intends to seek 25 per cent of the total settlement amount, which amounts to $2.25 million, plus disbursements and applicable taxes. The court will be responsible for determining the amount paid to the lawyers.

The settlement agreement will be presented to the Superior Court next February.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 10, 2024.