In 2013, Austrian law student and privacy activist Maximilian Schrems sued Facebook, alleging the social media giant violated the EU Data Protection Directive when it shared EU citizen data with the U.S. National Security Agency. Over 25,000 European Facebook users signed up to join the class action, with another 60,000 on a waiting list, making it one of the largest privacy suits in history.
Schrem’s lawsuit has yet to make it to court, having bounced in and out of EU jurisdictions over the last few years. But the case was the catalyst for a seismic shift in EU policy this fall, and it’s looking more certain that it will go forward.
