Legal Issues In the News

Illinois vs. Facebook

 
University of Illinois College of Law's Verity Winship

University of Illinois College of Law's Verity Winship University of Illinois College of Law

People of the State of Illinois v. Facebook & Cambridge Analytica.

The State’s Attorney of Cook County, Illinois, filed this consumer fraud lawsuit in Illinois state court in March 2018.  The complaint’s main allegation is that Facebook and Cambridge Analytica “exfiltrated the personal data of more than 50 million Facebook users in the United States, including millions of users in Illinois.”  Ages, interests, likes, names, addresses, religious and political affiliations.

This radio commentary takes a close look at the complaint in the Illinois case, examining where it get its information and how its fit into the broader national and international network of litigation, agency action, and legislative inquiry.