Meta sued for $3.2 billion in UK class action lawsuit over Facebook user data

Facebook parent company Meta is being sued for £2.3 billion ($3.2 billion) in a class action lawsuit in the United Kingdom for allegedly abusing its market dominance by exploiting the data of 44 million users.

The suit is being brought on the behalf of all Britons who had used Facebook between 2015 and 2019 by Liza Lovdahl Gormsen, senior advisor to the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and a competition law academic.

The lawsuit alleges Facebook made billions of pounds by forcing consumers to surrender valuable personal data to access the social network by abusing its dominant market position to impose unfair terms and conditions.

"In the 17 years since it was created, Facebook became the sole social network in the UK where you could be sure to connect with friends and family in one place," Lovdahl Gormsen said.

"Yet, there was a dark side to Facebook; it abused its market dominance to impose unfair terms and conditions on ordinary Britons, giving it the power to exploit their personal data."

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, the law firm representing Lovdahl Gormsen, notified Facebook of the claim. The case will be heard by London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal.

A spokesperson for Facebook told Reuters that people used its services because it delivered value for them, and that "they have meaningful control of what information they share on Meta's platforms and who with."

The U.K. lawsuit comes the same week Facebook failed to get an anti-trust lawsuit by U.S. regulators thrown out.