Aussie Facebook users to share $50m payout after Cambridge Analytica privacy breach

Home > Admin  > Aussie Facebook users to share $50m payout after Cambridge Analytica privacy breach

17 Nov Aussie Facebook users to share $50m payout after Cambridge Analytica privacy breach

Posted at 08:46h in Admin by

Facebook users can check a specific help page on the Facebook website to see if they might be entitled to compensation. “This groundbreaking outcome reflects the significant concerns of the Australian community,” she said. Meta is expected to work with an independent third-party administrator, which will be appointed early next year, to notify users who may be eligible.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

  • While full details have not been settled, this raises the possibility that platforms could choose to sign exclusive deals with one or some outlets.
  • Tech companies, including Meta, say they’re concerned about the proposal, while Australian media organisations have welcomed it as a positive step.
  • But the introduction of a tax “risks the ongoing viability of commercial deals with news publishers in Australia”, they said in a statement.
  • This highlights the platform’s role as a preferred social media choice among teenagers and adults alike.
  • Privacy commissioner Carly Kind, who earlier this year ruled that Bunnings had breached the Privacy Act with its use of facial recognition technology, welcomed the settlement.

In 2025, Facebook continued to be a dominant social media platform in Australia, with 17.2 million users actively engaging with content, communities, and businesses. Despite the rise of newer social media platforms, Facebook maintained its relevance by evolving its features, such as Marketplace, Groups, and Reels, to cater to user preferences. The platform played a crucial role in digital communication, Wolf Winner Casino serving as a hub for social interactions, entertainment, and news consumption across different age groups. Facebook remained a dominant social media platform in Australia in 2025, ranking 1st in both total user preference and engagement.

Industries of Operation

The $50 million in Australia will be the largest settlement paid by Meta over the scandal outside the US. Commissioner Tydd said the payment demonstrated that all entities operating in Australia had to be transparent and accountable in the way they handle personal information. Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said the settlement was the “largest ever payment” dedicated to addressing the privacy concerns in Australia. The agreement will end the legal proceedings as part of the Federal Court action launched by the commissioner in 2020. A strong password means your account will be more secure as strong passwords are very hard to guess.

It comes after Meta agreed to pay $US725 million (about $1 billion) to resolve a class action lawsuit in 2022 over the scandal in the US. Meta will appoint an independent third-party administrator by early next year to notify users who may be eligible. You can add a profile picture and information about yourself, search for people you may know on Facebook, and get to know Facebook’s privacy settings. You’ll learn more about those settings in the Controlling your privacy settings activity coming up next in this course.

This aligns with the trend of young professionals and millennials using Facebook for networking, socializing, and business-related activities. Similarly, the age group accounted for 20.6%, showing that middle-aged users continued to engage actively with the platform, possibly for staying connected with family, consuming news, and using Facebook Marketplace. Facebook maintained a strong presence in Australia in 2025, with 17.2 million active users, accounting for 64.1% of the total population. The platform’s influence was even greater among eligible users (aged 13 and above), with 75.6% actively using Facebook. This highlights the platform’s role as a preferred social media choice among teenagers and adults alike.

As digital consumption patterns evolved, Facebook remained a key player in Australia’s online ecosystem, ensuring sustained engagement and connectivity among its users. DIGI, an industry group that lobbies on behalf of social media platforms, said there were “many unanswered questions” about the government’s plan. Facebook users will receive a shared $50 million payment after parent company Meta agreed to a record settlement with Australia’s information commissioner, ending years of legal proceedings. Facebook’s user base in Australia experienced steady growth in 2025, with an increase of 550,000 users over the year, reflecting a 3.3% rise in total users. This suggests that despite competition from other platforms, Facebook remained a key platform for social networking and digital marketing in the country. The design of this tax would not stipulate which media outlets the platforms should pay — instead, it would work like a standard tax offset where any dollar spent on an agreement with a relevant outlet would be deductible.