Mark Zuckerberg faces accountability over Facebook's privacy breaches

In Delaware, a significant class-action lawsuit has been initiated against Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., alongside other current and former executives. This lawsuit, stemming from the infamous 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, alleges that Meta failed to adequately communicate the potential misuse of Facebook users' private data by Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 Trump campaign. Shareholders criticized the company for ignoring a 2012 consent order with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which mandated that Facebook halt the collection and unauthorized sharing of user data. The lawsuit claims that, contrary to the established agreements, Facebook sold user information to commercial associates and removed essential privacy disclosures. These actions drew heavy penalties from the FTC, culminating in a massive $5.1 billion settlement. Individual affected users also received a $725 million settlement, reflecting the extensive fallout from the scandal. Central to the current proceedings is the demand from shareholders for reimbursement from Zuckerberg and other executives for the legal penalties and associated costs, which are estimated to exceed $8 billion. In court, it was argued that, despite overseeing the company’s operations and the alleged privacy violations, Zuckerberg’s role was deemed essential by former board member Jeffrey Zients, who indicated that there was no prior indication of wrongdoing from Zuckerberg. The case is ongoing, with testimonies from Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg expected to unfold over the following week. Other significant witnesses, including Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel, have also been called to testify in the Delaware Chancery Court. The outcome remains uncertain as the judge is not anticipated to issue a ruling for several months, and Meta had previously sought to dismiss the case at the Supreme Court level but was denied.