$50M Settlement from Meta
The Australian Information Commissioner has finalised a $50 million payment program with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta) to resolve civil penalty proceedings related to the Cambridge Analytica incident. The scheme will provide eligible Australian Facebook users with the opportunity to claim redress for breaches of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Between November 2013 and December 2015, some users’ personal information was improperly shared with the This is Your Digital Life app, exposing it to third-party access and potential political profiling.
The settlement, the largest of its kind in Australia, was achieved through court-ordered mediation. A two-tier payment system will compensate affected individuals, with applications expected to open by mid-2025.
Meta has committed to appointing an independent administrator to oversee the scheme. Any residual funds will be directed to the Commonwealth’s Consolidated Revenue Fund. This settlement underscores the importance of upholding privacy standards and accountability in handling personal information.