A 25,000 member class action has been considered against Facebook by a court in Austria.  Following alleged breaches of EU privacy law, mass surveillance and involvement in the NSA’s Prism snooping programme, privacy campaigner Max Schrems has officially filed the complaint which is currently being considered.  A decision on whether the claim can succeed to a full consideration is expected in June.

27-year-old Schrems has a history of presenting claims against Facebook, previously withdrawing or otherwise resolving them before court action becomes necessary.  Facebook has its European headquarters in Dublin, which registers all accounts outside the US and Canada and accounts for approximately 80% of Facebook’s 1.35 billion users.

Already, 55,000 additional members are waiting to join the action which, if permitted to continue, will see them each claim a token €500 in damages.

I joined Alyona Minkovski live in the Huff Post Live studio, New York City, to discuss the potential claim against Facebook and the impact of data protection legislation across Europe.

View the interview here (link to Huff Post Live)