Meta Agrees to A$50 Million Settlement with Australian Privacy Watchdog

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has reached a A$50 million ($31.85 million) settlement with Australia's privacy watchdog, bringing an end to the costly and lengthy legal battle over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner had alleged that personal information of some users was disclosed to Facebook's personality quiz app, 'This is Your Digital Life', as part of the broader scandal.

Legal Battle and Regulatory Fines

The breaches were first reported by The Guardian in early 2018, and Facebook received fines from regulators in the United States and the UK in 2019. Australia's privacy regulator has been involved in the legal battle with Meta since 2020. In March 2023, the high court denied Meta's appeal, allowing the watchdog to continue its prosecution. In June 2023, the country's federal court ordered Meta and the privacy commissioner to enter mediation.

Cambridge Analytica's Data Misuse

Cambridge Analytica, a British consulting firm, was known to have kept personal data of millions of Facebook users without their permission, using the data predominantly for political advertising, including assisting Donald Trump and the Brexit campaign in the UK. Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.