Test purchase halts lawsuit over Cambridge Analytica scandal and closes Facebook | iHLN

Test Purchase has fought with Facebook for three years in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Data from millions of Facebook users found was shared without consent with data and marketing company Cambridge Analytica. The consumer organization demanded compensation of € 200 for every Facebook user who joined the class action.

Consumer organizations from Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain, united in the Euroconsumers umbrella, and Facebook have entered discussions during the legal battle. They reached an agreement on a settlement without admitting guilt but with a three-year partnership. As a result, legal proceedings come to an end in Belgium.

“We are forming a committee with Facebook to address consumer issues,” says test purchase spokesperson Simon November. “An important and arduous task awaits us, because there will definitely be more problems that will arise.” According to November, Facebook has already made several changes to privacy. “By working together, we believe we can achieve more for consumers.”

Test Achats does not wish to determine whether Facebook pays a fee in the course of the settlement. “We do not comment on that,” November said. However, the consumer organization will make a “bid” for 44,000 people who joined the class action. It is not clear if it will be a financial contribution. “It’s not necessarily necessary,” she says.