Craig Hoffman writes:
On May 12, 2011, a California federal court dismissed substantive claims in a class action privacy lawsuit against Facebook. The plaintiffs alleged eight causes of action under federal and state law, claiming that Facebook shared users’ personal information with advertisers without the users’ consent. Although the judge found that the plaintiffs had standing to bring the suit in federal court, he nonetheless dismissed all claims for not alleging facts upon which the court could afford relief.
Following a line of consistent precedent, the court held that for purposes of California’s Unfair Competition Law, personal information does not constitute property.
Read more on Data Privacy Monitor.