Social media connects us socially and professionally, allowing fast communication and information updates. Many social media companies choose to use smart technologies when storing user information like, personal photos, private details, and sales interests. Facebook is one of the biggest social media companies doing this.
If a social media company has sustained a data breach despite their required federal and state-imposed precautions, you may be able to sue the company for compensation.
Can You File A Lawsuit Against Facebook For Identity Theft?
The federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) is a criminal statute that allows private lawsuits if it is violated. Even though Facebook is a tech giant, you can file a lawsuit for compensation if it violates your private or intellectual property.
Everyone has the right to have their personal data handled correctly. Anyone may claim compensation if an organization has mishandled one’s data that causes damage to the individual. You may attempt to claim financial losses, emotional distress, or both.
A lawsuit against Facebook can be raised on the following grounds:
- Negligence,
- Breach of fiduciary duty,
- Invasion of privacy,
- Inflicting emotional distress, or
- Any other legal theories listed under state law
Where a case can be reasonably established, you may be able to take legal action and secure fair compensation.
Consulting a knowledgeable identity theft attorney would help you explore strategies for winning financial compensation.
How Much Compensation Can I Sue Facebook for?
In successful cases, victims of identity theft may be awarded compensation in relation to the damages they can prove were sustained because of the data breach. These include:
- Compensatory damages:
- Punitive damages,
- Emotional damages.
The type of data breach and the associated damages linked to the breach will act as the primary factors when calculating the potential compensation. There is no set limit to the compensation that can be claimed, and it is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Do I Need An Attorney?
Whenever an identity theft case is considered, consulting a reputable attorney remains one of the strongest resources a victim should consider.
An experienced attorney will understand how and when to file the lawsuit. They know what deadlines to observe and what details to provide when presenting your case. Specialist knowledge and training is needed to apply the various federal and state laws a case requires.
One can pursue a case of identity theft on their own, but risk being awarded lower amounts of compensation, or even losing the case. Facebook is a mega corporation with top-quality lawyers ready to defend the company, a knowledgeable attorney could be the strength you need.
Bottom Line
If you have entrusted your personal information to Facebook and become a victim of a data breach; you may initiate a civil lawsuit against Facebook in order to recover compensation associated with any damages you have sustained due to the data breach.
The amount you may claim depends on the type of information that was stolen during the breach and the severity of damages that can be proved to have occurred by this breach.
Consulting a lawyer will increase the likelihood of success when attempting to sue Facebook if they failed to prevent the identity theft from occurring. Due to the complexity of identity theft cases, failing to consider legal representation puts you at risk of sub-par compensation, or even losing the case.
