Users sue Facebook over privacy violation, prepare for the showdown

On Monday five Facebook users filed a lawsuit against the social networking site claiming that it violated California state laws that protect consumer privacy, reports the MSNBC. The filing demands a jury trial and seeks damages and attorney's fees. At the focus of the case are concerns over Facebook’s privacy policy, which the site is in the process of addressing. Many users today are doubting if Facebook owns user's information posted on profile pages.

The social networking player in its turn is preparing to fight back saying: We see no merit to this suit and we plan to fight it." Earlier Facebook opened up the process of crafting new terms of service, taking recommendations and allowing users to vote on the rules Facebook would accept for the site. The filing alleges that users aren't given notice about changes in terms of service. But Facebook counters that it actually does give users notice on changes of terms of service.

As noted by MSNBC the case will be a showdown. Facebook will face a real challenge: to reassure consumers that their information is safe, while also targeting ads based on that information.