Dataconomy
  • News
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • DeFi & Blockchain
    • Finance
    • Gaming
    • Startups
    • Tech
  • Industry
  • Research
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Guides
    • Case Studies
    • Glossary
    • Whitepapers
  • Newsletter
  • + More
    • Conversations
    • Events
    • About
      • About
      • Contact
      • Imprint
      • Legal & Privacy
      • Partner With Us
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • AI
  • Tech
  • Cybersecurity
  • Finance
  • DeFi & Blockchain
  • Startups
  • Gaming
Dataconomy
  • News
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • DeFi & Blockchain
    • Finance
    • Gaming
    • Startups
    • Tech
  • Industry
  • Research
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Guides
    • Case Studies
    • Glossary
    • Whitepapers
  • Newsletter
  • + More
    • Conversations
    • Events
    • About
      • About
      • Contact
      • Imprint
      • Legal & Privacy
      • Partner With Us
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Dataconomy
No Result
View All Result

Former Meta COO sanctioned over deleting Cambridge Analytica emails

This lawsuit accused Facebook leaders of breaching legal obligations and fiduciary duties by failing to adequately protect user privacy

byKerem Gülen
January 22, 2025
in Industry, News

A Delaware judge has sanctioned Sheryl Sandberg, former COO and board member of Meta, for allegedly deleting emails linked to the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal. The ruling stems from a case initiated by Meta shareholders against Sandberg and former board member Jeff Zients in late 2022.

Delaware judge sanctions Sheryl Sandberg over email deletions

The plaintiffs claimed that Sandberg and Zients utilized personal email accounts to discuss matters related to a 2018 shareholder lawsuit. This lawsuit accused Facebook leaders of breaching legal obligations and fiduciary duties by failing to adequately protect user privacy. Additionally, the plaintiffs alleged that both former board members deleted emails from their personal accounts, despite a court instruction to preserve such communications.

The judge highlighted compelling evidence regarding these allegations in a decision issued on Tuesday. According to the ruling, “the defendants disclosed Sandberg’s personal Gmail account, maintained under a pseudonym, that she used to ‘communicate about matters potentially relevant to the claims and defenses in this action.’” The judge further noted that Sandberg’s legal counsel provided vague responses during interrogatories, implying that rather than using an auto-delete function, Sandberg selectively chose which emails to erase.

Stay Ahead of the Curve!

Don't miss out on the latest insights, trends, and analysis in the world of data, technology, and startups. Subscribe to our newsletter and get exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.

As a result of the sanctions, the judge heightened the legal standard for Sandberg’s affirmative defense to requiring her to demonstrate her case with “clear and convincing” evidence, in contrast to the easier burden of “preponderance” of evidence. Furthermore, the judge awarded certain expenses to the plaintiffs.

A spokesperson for Sandberg told TechCrunch that the plaintiffs’ claims were baseless, asserting, “All work emails were preserved on Facebook’s servers.”

This legal dispute is rooted in allegations that Meta officials violated a 2012 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) order, which mandated that the company cease the unauthorized collection and sharing of Facebook users’ personal data. The allegations included claims that Facebook sold this data to commercial partners, such as Cambridge Analytica, and removed required disclosures from privacy settings.

In 2019, Meta agreed to pay $5 billion to the FTC to settle accusations of violating the 2012 order. The company has faced additional regulatory penalties in Europe.


Featured image credit: Leader Biography

Tags: FeaturedMeta

Related Posts

Notion Capital closes 0m Growth Opportunities III fund

Notion Capital closes $130m Growth Opportunities III fund

September 30, 2025
ChatGPT adds Instant Checkout with Agentic Commerce Protocol

ChatGPT adds Instant Checkout with Agentic Commerce Protocol

September 30, 2025
California enacts SB 53 AI transparency law

California enacts SB 53 AI transparency law

September 30, 2025
Microsoft reunites Windows teams for Agentic OS

Microsoft reunites Windows teams for Agentic OS

September 30, 2025
Trump proposes 100% tariff on films made outside US

Trump proposes 100% tariff on films made outside US

September 30, 2025
YouTube settles Trump lawsuit for .5 million

YouTube settles Trump lawsuit for $24.5 million

September 30, 2025

LATEST NEWS

ChatGPT adds Instant Checkout with Agentic Commerce Protocol

California enacts SB 53 AI transparency law

YouTube settles Trump lawsuit for $24.5 million

EA sold to Saudi-backed group for $55 billion

Cross-Chain is the new competitive edge: Building secure, interoperable systems in the Web3 era

Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 4.5 with advanced coding and agent capabilities

Dataconomy

COPYRIGHT © DATACONOMY MEDIA GMBH, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • About
  • Imprint
  • Contact
  • Legal & Privacy

Follow Us

  • News
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • DeFi & Blockchain
    • Finance
    • Gaming
    • Startups
    • Tech
  • Industry
  • Research
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Guides
    • Case Studies
    • Glossary
    • Whitepapers
  • Newsletter
  • + More
    • Conversations
    • Events
    • About
      • About
      • Contact
      • Imprint
      • Legal & Privacy
      • Partner With Us
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Policy.