Facebook parent company Meta agrees to $90M settlement in data-privacy lawsuit

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook’s parent company, Meta, will pay tens of millions of dollars after reaching a settlement in a data-privacy lawsuit surrounding the social network’s use of cookies more than a decade ago.

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According to The Associated Press, the company said Tuesday it has agreed to pay $90 million to users involved in the class action suit, which alleged that from 2010 to 2011, Facebook tracked members’ online activity after they had logged out from the site. The company had obtained consent to track members only while they were logged in, the lawsuit said.

Meta also has agreed to delete the data in question, the AP reported.

The settlement, which would resolve a case that has been in the court system since 2012, still awaits a judge’s approval, according to the AP.

“This settlement not only repairs harm done to Facebook users but sets a precedent for the future disposition of such matters,” David Straite, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement, according to Variety.

Meta spokesperson Drew Pusateri said reaching a settlement “is in the best interest of our community and our shareholders, and we’re glad to move past this issue,” the AP reported.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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