<p>Facebook agreed to pay $90 million to settle a decade-old privacy lawsuit accusing it of tracking users' internet activity even after they logged out of the social media website.</p>.<p>A proposed preliminary settlement was filed on Monday night with the US District Court in San Jose, California, and requires a judge's approval. The accord also requires Facebook to delete data it collected improperly.</p>.<p>Users accused the Meta Platforms Inc unit of violating federal and state privacy and wiretapping laws by using plug-ins to store cookies that tracked when they visited outside websites containing Facebook "like" buttons.</p>.<p>Facebook then allegedly compiled users' browsing histories into profiles that it sold to advertisers.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/business/business-news/trouble-in-paradise-facebooks-woes-deepen-1078089.html" target="_blank">Trouble in Paradise: Facebook's woes deepen</a></strong></p>.<p>The case had been dismissed in June 2017, but was revived in April 2020 by a federal appeals court, which said users could try to prove that the Menlo Park, California-based company profited unjustly and violated their privacy.</p>.<p>Facebook's subsequent effort to persuade the US Supreme Court to take up the case was unsuccessful.</p>.<p>The company denied wrongdoing but settled to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, according to settlement papers.</p>.<p>Settling "is in the best interest of our community and our shareholders and we're glad to move past this issue," Meta spokesman Drew Pusateri said in an email.</p>.<p>The settlement covers Facebook users in the United States who between April 22, 2010 and Sept. 26, 2011 visited non-Facebook websites that displayed Facebook's "like" button.</p>.<p>Lawyers for the plaintiffs plan to seek legal fees of up to $26.1 million, or 29%, from the settlement fund. The lawsuit began in February 2012.</p>.<p>Facebook has faced other privacy complaints.</p>.<p>In July 2019, it agreed to bolster privacy safeguards in a US Federal Trade Commission settlement that also included a $5 billion fine.</p>.<p>On Monday, Texas' attorney general sued Meta, claiming it collected facial recognition data without users' permission.</p>.<p>The case is In re: Facebook Internet Tracking Litigation, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 12-md-02314.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
<p>Facebook agreed to pay $90 million to settle a decade-old privacy lawsuit accusing it of tracking users' internet activity even after they logged out of the social media website.</p>.<p>A proposed preliminary settlement was filed on Monday night with the US District Court in San Jose, California, and requires a judge's approval. The accord also requires Facebook to delete data it collected improperly.</p>.<p>Users accused the Meta Platforms Inc unit of violating federal and state privacy and wiretapping laws by using plug-ins to store cookies that tracked when they visited outside websites containing Facebook "like" buttons.</p>.<p>Facebook then allegedly compiled users' browsing histories into profiles that it sold to advertisers.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/business/business-news/trouble-in-paradise-facebooks-woes-deepen-1078089.html" target="_blank">Trouble in Paradise: Facebook's woes deepen</a></strong></p>.<p>The case had been dismissed in June 2017, but was revived in April 2020 by a federal appeals court, which said users could try to prove that the Menlo Park, California-based company profited unjustly and violated their privacy.</p>.<p>Facebook's subsequent effort to persuade the US Supreme Court to take up the case was unsuccessful.</p>.<p>The company denied wrongdoing but settled to avoid the costs and risks of a trial, according to settlement papers.</p>.<p>Settling "is in the best interest of our community and our shareholders and we're glad to move past this issue," Meta spokesman Drew Pusateri said in an email.</p>.<p>The settlement covers Facebook users in the United States who between April 22, 2010 and Sept. 26, 2011 visited non-Facebook websites that displayed Facebook's "like" button.</p>.<p>Lawyers for the plaintiffs plan to seek legal fees of up to $26.1 million, or 29%, from the settlement fund. The lawsuit began in February 2012.</p>.<p>Facebook has faced other privacy complaints.</p>.<p>In July 2019, it agreed to bolster privacy safeguards in a US Federal Trade Commission settlement that also included a $5 billion fine.</p>.<p>On Monday, Texas' attorney general sued Meta, claiming it collected facial recognition data without users' permission.</p>.<p>The case is In re: Facebook Internet Tracking Litigation, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 12-md-02314.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>