Aug 23, 2022 - Technology

Meta reaches $37.5 million settlement in location tracking lawsuit

Herb Scribner

Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Facebook parent company Meta has reached a $37.5 million settlement in a lawsuit that accused the company of violating user privacy by tracking location data through smartphones without asking users to do so.

The big picture: Meta has faced a number of legal challenges in recent years, and recently reached a separate $90 million settlement over location tracking.

Details: The new settlement resolves accusations that Facebook used IP addresses to determine users' locations, despite those users turning off location services, per Bloomberg Law.

Facebook was accused of using the data for targeted ads, per Reuters.
The preliminary settlement was filed in a San Francisco federal court Monday. Facebook spokesperson Emil Vazquez confirmed the settlement in an email to Axios.

Worth noting: The lawsuit covers Facebook users in the United States who used the social network any time after Jan. 30, 2015, per Reuters.

Go deeper: FTC sues Meta to stop it from acquiring VR fitness firm

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Meta reaches $37.5 million settlement in location tracking lawsuit

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