Facebook Wins Freeze on Disclosures in D.C. Privacy Lawsuit

D.C. attorney general says social network mishandles user data. Facebook seeks dismissal of Racine’s consumer-protection suit.

Facebook Inc. doesn’t need to respond to District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine’s demands for data about the social media giant’s user privacy-protection policies while awaiting a Washington court ruling on whether his consumer-protection case can go forward. Racine sued Facebook in December, claiming it failed to protect consumer data after it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica – a political consulting firm hired by President Donald Trump’s campaign – gained access to personal information of about 70 million U.S. citizens without their consent. Racine sued on behalf of the 340,000 district residents he says were harmed by Facebook’s actions.

The attorney general sought documents from Facebook while the judge in the case considers the company’s request to dismiss the lawsuit. D.C. Superior Court Judge Fern Saddler denied that request after a short hearing on Wednesday. Racine, who was at the hearing, said outside court that he “was slightly disappointed” by Saddler’s ruling but that he ultimately expects to prevail.

Joshua Lipshutz, Facebook’s lawyer, declined to comment. He told the judge at the hearing that before the lawsuit was filed the company had turned over 130,000 documents to the attorney general’s office. A hearing on Facebook’s request to have the lawsuit dismissed is set for March 22. The case is District of Columbia v. Facebook Inc., 2018 CA 008715 B, District of Columbia Superior Court, Civil Division (Washington).

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2019-03-06/facebook-wins-freeze-on-disclosures-in-washington-privacy-suit

District of Columbia v. Facebook Inc., 2018 CA 008715 B, District of Columbia Superior Court, Civil Division (Washington)

https://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-12/Facebook-Complaint_0.pdf

Facebook sued by underaged sex trafficking victim again

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Facebook is now being sued by an underaged sex trafficking victim– again. This is the third lawsuit filed against the social media giant in Harris County. The victim's attorney, Annie McAdams, said her client who's referred to only as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, was just 12 years old when she was first approached by a pimp on Facebook and eventually trafficked as a result of the site's open platform. The lawsuit filed on Tuesday said the pimp groomed the minor for over a year, earned her trust, then swooped in when the child was vulnurable. "Just like other cases we've seen– when the child had a disruption at home, voiced her concern and loneliness on Facebook– he moved in. He picked her up and here we are," McAdams said.

The case has a similar pattern to other underaged sex trafficking cases McAdams has represented in the past where predators spend weeks, months and sometimes even years spent waiting patiently for their prey. McAdams said keeping your kids completely off social media sites like Facebook and Instagram is the only sure way to protect them from being exposed. "You should not let your child on social media. It's really that simple. It is impossible for you to know all communications at all times and who is friending your child. This is a complete and open platform for predators to approach our children," McAdams said. Mcadams said even when parents think they're closely monitoring their kids' online activities, the predators are one step ahead. "Just because you think you're looking at who your kids are friends with on Facebook, that may not always be who they're communicating with," McAdams said.

McAdams claims Facebook helped faciliate her client's trafficking by refusing to change its safety protocols and monitoring who its users are. "When you take your kid to summer camp, you expect the summer camp while your child is on that premise, to be kept safe from predators. But somehow, we are allowing our children to step foot on this platform, yet are not demanding the same regulations when in fact, they have more exposure on internet platforms," McAdams said. "These cases are not being filed to settle. We want drastic changes in the way that they're doing business. Facebook has not made any significant steps since our first lawsuit to continue to protect children," McAdams continued. McAdams said the two other cases against Facebook now being litigated in court.

http://amp.fox26houston.com/news/facebook-sued-by-underaged-sex-trafficking-victim-again