B.C. woman sues Facebook for using her photo

[alp227]

Source: CBC

A Vancouver woman has filed a class action lawsuit against Facebook for profiting from an advertisement that used her photo and profile information without her consent.

Debbie Douez is claiming that Facebook, Inc. allowed her name and photo to be used without her permission for an advertisement that appeared on Facebook last year.

In the notice of civil claim, which was filed in B.C. Supreme Court on March 29, Douez describes how her name and profile photo were taken from her account and used to advertise a service to other Facebook users.

Sometime after she clicked the 'Like' button for a Facebook group called "Cool Entrepreneurs," Douez's photo with the caption "Debbie Douez likes Cool Entrepreneurs" began appearing in a sidebar advertisement to her Facebook contacts.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/04/02/bc-facebook-ads-lawsuit.html

[ThomThom]

1. don't think she will win

everything that gets posted on Facebook becomes the property of Facebook
it's in the agreement i believe

[Posteritatis]

15. Yeah, there's an opt-out specifically for this sort of thing. (nt)

[leftofcool]

2. Sorry, kiddo, read the fine print that authorizes FB to use your photo, your words and anything else

you upload to your FB account.

[Voice for Peace]

3. hahahaha good luck with that.. that's all they do on facebook

is advertise to you everything that your friends like and where they go and what they eat and where they shop and what movies they recommend and on and on...

[Kelvin Mace]

4. Hey, you know that "Terms of Service" agreement you clicked on?

You gave them permission to do that when you clicked "I Accept".

Now, I'd love to see the Canadian government rule that "click-wrap" licenses are non-binding, but Hollywood and Silicon Valley are not going to let that happen.

[seattleblah]

5. Hopefully this will help to get rid of the LIKE button.

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. Unfortunately "you" are the product on Facebook

[Why Syzygy]

7. opt out

There is a setting in account/privacy settings to opt out of this practice. That pretty much kills her case, I would think?
ps. I have had mine set to not share in this manner. facebook tends to be much more *friendly* than some folks want.

[harmonicon]

8. What an idiot. nt.

[McCamy Taylor]

9. What is she doing on Facebook if she is so jealous of her privacy?

[Javaman]

10. What ever happens in facebook, stays in facebook.

she will lose.

[WeekendWarrior]

11. I'm no FB apologist but

but fuck you, Debbie. You signed up for facebook, you read their policies, you got to use their social network at no cost to you, and you undoubtedly made your photos public on your FB page. On top of that, what's the basis of your suit? What harm did this ad do to you?

This kind of frivolous bullshit clogs up our courts with nonsense. If you've been truly harmed by someone, sue the shit out of them. But this is ridiculous.

[CreekDog]

12. "fuck you, Debbie"?

wow.

[WeekendWarrior]

13. Yep.

I'm sick and tired of people who clog up the courts with frivolous bullshit.

[alp227]

14. Also, frivolous suits like this only fuel phony Repub tort reform initiatives

Also, I notice that this thread is near unanimously against the plaintiff. However, on past DU threads about facebook advertisers or privacy, most responses criticized the company:

Examples:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1081932

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4938404

What happened to the usual DU pro privacy crowd? In fact, this type of facebook ad would be illegal in Europe.