Over 25,000 Facebook users are part of a class action lawsuit against the social network and are awaiting to hear if a Vienna, Austria, court will accept the case.
The legal action has sparked international attention over its claims of Facebook breaching privacy and security of its over one billion users. Led by Austrian law student Max Schrems, the case is the first of its kind to attack Facebook over its roll in the National Security Agency (NSA) PRISM spying scheme that was brought to light last year by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The issue of privacy and one's right to remain outside the government's gaze without a judge-ordered warrant is at the heart of the matter and Schrems hopes it will highlight just how tech companies use personal data for profit.
"We're at about 22,000 participants," said Schrems on Wednesday morning European time. He is capping the number of complaintants at 25,000, and each will receive 500 euros if the court accepts the case and Facebook is found to be at fault over the matter.
The number of participants in the case could balloon further should the case be expanded down the road, but Schrems says his lawyers are now wanting to verify each participant who joined through the website fbclaim.com.
The lawsuit was filed in Vienna's commercial court last week, Tech Times reports, and the 26-year-old says Facebook policy and actions violate the basic privacy granted by international law.
The NSA used Facebook's collection of personal data and mined through it without the users' knowledge, Schrems is arguing.
It is the latest public outcry against private companies who have collected personal data and are then selling it, or having it used by, other companies whether for government security or advertising purposes. It also highlights the frustration many in the general public currently have concerning the safety of their personal data on websites.
Schrems hopes that the lawsuit will put full international attention on the actions of tech companies and social media websites over what they are doing with personal data. Initial response, he says, has been positive and he hopes it will spark a debate about the current status quo.
"The emails and feedback have been really positive and what is interesting is that many people say finally someone is doing something in this direction," he said.
