Facebook given four weeks to respond to European class action lawsuit
Facebook has been given four weeks to respond to a class action suit by a Court in Vienna on claims that it has breached European data regulations.
The action, named Facebook V Europe, is being led by privacy campaigner, Max Schrem, who had to limit the number of complainants to 25,000 after being swamped with backers earlier this month.
Schrem's suit against Facebooks' Irish offices, claim that the social media giant has breached European privacy laws in how it tracks users on it own site and then on external websites.
Each plaintiff is claiming damages of £500 each as a result of the alleged data protection breaches.
Now, a regional court in Vienna has approved the motion and ordered Facebook to respond within a four-week period in order that a judge may rule.
Through it’s website, the group released the following statement: “The Vienna Regional Court has reviewed the class action against Facebook Ireland. After the ‘alimine’ review was passed, the Court now ordered Facebook Ireland to respond within four weeks.
“The order is very likely on the way to Facebook via registered mail. The first step in the legal procedure is hereby taken. Facebook Ireland may be able to get an extension of this time limit of additional four weeks. If Facebook Ireland would refuse to submit a counterstatement the court would be able to make a judgment in absence based on the lawsuit.
“So far more than 25.000 Facebook users from outside of the US and Canada have assigned their claims to join the class action, in what has become the largest privacy class action in Europe overnight. An additional 35.000 users have registered on www.fbclaim.com to assign their claims,” it concluded.
Facebook has yet to comment on the case.