Meta proposes $51 million settlement for Canadian Facebook users in four provinces’ lawsuit

A British Columbia woman initiated a legal case, alleging the unauthorized use of her and others’ images in Facebook ads. Meta is proposing a $51 million settlement for a class-action lawsuit spanning four Canadian provinces. The lawsuit revolves around the use of users’ images in Facebook’s now-defunct ‘sponsored stories’ advertising program, with claims that the images were used without their knowledge.

MNP Ltd., the court-designated administrator overseeing the proposed settlement, has stated that the agreement requires approval from a B.C. Supreme Court judge in March. Additionally, a procedure to determine the allocated share of the money for class members needs to be established.

In 2019, the lawsuit was broadened beyond B.C. to encompass residents of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The ‘Sponsored Stories’ feature was active from January 2011 to May 2014. Under this program, if a user liked a product, Facebook would create a news feed endorsement using their name and profile photo without informing them about the use of their image.

Legal experts estimate that approximately 4.3 million individuals, whose real names or photos were utilized in sponsored stories, may be eligible to be part of the Canadian settlement.

Those wishing to voice objections to the proposed settlement have until March 11 to do so.