Meta Platforms Settles Cambridge Analytica Case in Australia

(Reuters) – Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) has agreed to a A$50 million settlement ($31.85 million), Australia's privacy watchdog announced on Tuesday, concluding lengthy legal proceedings concerning the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner alleged that personal information from some users was disclosed to Facebook's personality quiz app, This is Your Digital Life, as part of the broader scandal.

These breaches were first reported by the Guardian in early 2018, with Facebook facing fines from regulators in the United States and the UK in 2019.

Australia's privacy regulator has been engaged in a legal battle with Meta since 2020, revealing that the personal data of 311,127 Australian Facebook users was "exposed to the risk of being disclosed" to consulting firm Cambridge Analytica for profiling purposes, according to a 2020 statement.

In March 2023, the high court declined to hear an appeal, which was a victory for the watchdog, allowing it 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," stated Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd.

Cambridge Analytica, a British consulting firm, unlawfully retained personal data of millions of Facebook users, utilizing it primarily for political advertising, including support for Donald Trump and the Brexit campaign in the UK.

A Meta spokesperson informed Reuters that the company settled the lawsuit in Australia on a no-admission basis, thus concluding the allegations regarding its past practices.

($1 = 1.5699 Australian dollars)