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Zuckerberg Settles Cambridge Analytica Scandal: What Now?
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg agrees to a settlement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal to end shareholder litigation.
Zuckerberg Settles Cambridge Analytica Scandal: What Now?
In the shadow of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has finally reached a settlement with his company's shareholders. How schwarzwaelder-bote.de reported, the trial ended on July 16, 2025 in Wilmington, Delaware. The exact financial details of the settlement are still unclear, but it is clear that the lawsuit has been settled.
Shareholders had accused Zuckerberg and other board members of paying too much money as part of an agreement with the US government in 2019. The whole circus surrounding the enormous fine of five billion dollars that Facebook had to pay for data protection violations heated up people's minds for a long time.
The scandal on everyone's lips
The Cambridge Analytica scandal revolves around the unexpected analysis of personal data from around 87 million Facebook users without ever having been asked for permission. This was done through an app called “This Is Your Digital Life”, developed by psychologist Aleksandr Kogan in 2013, which made it possible to create psychological profiles. This information was then used for political advertising, not only for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, but also for the Brexit referendum.
As in an article on Wikipedia can be read, attention was drawn to the grievances in a report by The Guardian in December 2015. Subsequently, there were repeated reports of illegal data use in election campaigns, which led to enormous public interest and the #DeleteFacebook movement.
Consequences for the company
The US consumer protection agency FTC has accused Facebook of violating data protection rules. Zuckerberg, whose leadership style and decisions are repeatedly discussed controversially, had to answer to the US Congress in April 2018. Even after the scandal, Facebook made changes to its data policies and spoke of an increased focus on protecting user data.
Critics, such as Jason Kint, head of the US digital association DCN, see the comparison as a missed opportunity for comprehensive public accountability. High-ranking Facebook managers should testify in the trial, which is now no longer necessary as a result of the agreement. A whole network of political manipulation and data misuse has sparked a broad debate about the influence of social media on democracy through this scandal.
It remains to be seen what lessons can be learned from this incident. The public discussion about this scandal and its impact on the world of social media is far from over, and many are wondering what data protection will look like in the digital future.