Zuckerberg Targeted in US Privacy Lawsuit

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • On Monday, District of Columbia AG Karl A. Racine filed a lawsuit against Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg over alleged data abuses and violations of privacy protections.1
  • The suit alleges that Zuckerberg cooperated with Trump-allied political consultancy Cambridge Analytica to siphon the personal data of millions of users without their consent.2
  • Racine sued the company over its data practices in 2018, but he is now looking to fine Zuckerberg personally for his involvement.2
  • The AG has previously brought an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon (which the DC Superior Court dismissed) and is currently involved in a lawsuit against Google over misleading privacy practices.2
  • In 2018, it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica had harvested the data of over 70M US Facebook users for political purposes. US authorities imposed a $5B fine on the company, then known as Facebook, for the violations.3
  • Following the scandal, the company was also required to ramp up privacy protections, provide detailed quarterly reports, and implement an independent oversight board.4

Sources: 1Verge, 2Washington Post, 3Wall Street Journal and 4Raw Story.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Wall Street Journal. A monumental fine for the violations has been settled and Zuckerberg committed his company to vast structural changes following the conclusion of the scandal. The tech giant has already taken actions affecting its profiability to keep users' security protected and Racine's continued targeting of Zuckerberg seems more like a vendetta than a search for accountability.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Guardian. This unprecedented security breach, that saw the personal data of millions of unsuspecting Americans harvested for political gain, demands further investigation. New evidence suggests that Zuckerberg was aware of the risks to data security and held personal responsibility for the safety of users' information - he should be held accountable.