Facebook ordered to pay $20m for using member ‘likes’ as endorsements for adverts

A US judge has approved a deal in which Facebook will pay $20m (€15m) for using members’ “likes” as endorsements for ads.

The pot of money is to be divvied up among attorneys, internet privacy rights groups, and Facebook users who filed claims in the class-action lawsuit.

US District Judge Richard Seeborg on Monday reasoned the sum, a small fraction of the billions being sought in the case, was fair given the challenges of proving Facebook members were financially harmed or that signalling “likes” for products didn’t imply consent.