Murphy PA Files Nationwide Class Action Lawsuit Against Facebook for Alleged Violations of Federal and State Privacy and Consumer Protection Laws

BALTIMORE, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Facebook, Inc., the social networking website with more than 800 million users worldwide, unlawfully tracked the internet activities of its users, the Baltimore-based Murphy, P.A. alleged in a lawsuit filed on Friday.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120222/PH56255  )

Facebook ignored repeated inquiries from an internet technology and security blogger who discovered that the unique identifiers Facebook uses to identify its members continued to track their internet usage even after they had logged off of Facebook.com, Murphy, P.A. alleged in the lawsuit.  Facebook's actions were unlawful, Murphy, P.A. claimed, because the terms of use and privacy policies posted on Facebook.com advised Facebook members that their post-log-out internet activities were not tracked.  According to the lawsuit, which was filed  in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by Murphy, P.A., the Baltimore-based Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos, and the San Francisco office of Girard Gibbs LLP, Facebook's actions violated several Federal and State laws, including the Federal Wiretap Act, the California Internet Privacy Requirements Act, and the California Unfair Competition Law.

"The days when online service providers can run roughshod over the privacy rights of their customers are over," said Murphy, P.A. Founding Partner William "Billy" Murphy, Jr.  "Companies that operate commercial websites, such as Facebook, need to realize the public is increasingly concerned about its privacy rights.  Perhaps even more importantly, there is a growing community of security experts and bloggers that is extremely savvy about internet technology and committed to ensuring that people's privacy rights are respected and protected."

Murphy, P.A. has extensive experience prosecuting class action cases and has an extraordinary track record of securing major settlements and jury verdicts on behalf of its clients.  In 2009, Murphy, P.A. secured a $55,000,000 settlement from Constellation Energy on behalf of a class of homeowners whose groundwater had been contaminated by coal ash.  In 2010, Murphy, P.A. won a $34,333,000 jury verdict on behalf of twenty-three employees who were exposed to carbon monoxide at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  Further information about Murphy, P.A. is available on its website, www.murphypa.com. 

Contact: Lisa Bennett
410-951-8817
[email protected]

SOURCE Murphy PA