Stravato v. Facebook, Inc.

Filing 1

COMPLAINT against Facebook, Inc. ( Filing fee $ 350.00; Receipt number 14670006877), filed by Edward Stravato. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet)(Duhamel, John)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
DISTRICT OF RHODE ISLAND

EDWARD STRAVATO,

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Plaintiff,

v.
FACEBOOK, INC; JOHN DOE 1-10

Defendants.

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CA11 ~
Case No.

CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT

1.

Plaintiff Edward Stravato is a resident of the Town of Johnston, State of

Rhode Island, residing at 35 South Bennett Drive, Johnston, Rhode Island 02919. Upon
information and belief, Defendants intercepted, collected, stored and used personal
information from Plaintiff.
2.

Defendant Facebook, Inc. (hereinafter "Facebook") is a company

organized and existing under the laws of Delaware with its principal place of business at
1601 S. California Ave. Palo Alto, California 94304. Upon information and belief,
Facebook, Inc. owns and/or operates websites including www.facebook.com, which offer
online social interaction and picture storage.
3.

Defendants Jolm Doe 1-10 are the remaining directors, employees, agents,

or contractors ofFacebook that are yet to be named and whose identity will become
known through discovery and/or by requests made by Plaintiff.

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4.

This Court has jurisdiction over this action and all defendants pursuant to

28 U.S. C. § 1331 in that this action arises under the statutes of the United States,
specifically 18 U.S.C. § 2510 et seq., entitled "The Wiretap Act" (hereinafter "Wiretap
Act").
5.

Additionally, this Court has personal jurisdiction over Defendant

Facebook pursuant to R.I.G.L. § 9-5-33 because Facebook transacted business and made
contracts in Rhode Island directly through the website www.facebook.com, violated the
law within the State of Rhode Island, committed tortious acts within Rhode Island, and
otherwise has sufficient minimum contacts with the State of Rhode Island.
6.

Venue is proper in this District pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391 because

Plaintiff resides in this judicial district where a substantial part of the events giving rise to
the claims at issue arose.
FACTS
7.

Defendant Facebook operates a website, www.facebook.com, which is

primarily a social networking cite.
8.

Plaintiff and Class members are individuals who subscribe to the online

social media site "Facebook."
9.

Membership with Facebook is conditioned upon the user providing

personal information to Facebook upon registration, including name, birth date, gender
and email address.
10.

Membership is also conditioned upon the user accepting numerous small

files, called" cookies," on the user's computer which track the user's online habits, while
the user is logged onto Facebook.

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11.

Facebook has a number of governing policies and guidelines. These

policies and guidelines state that Facebook will not track, collect, store, disseminate, or
use their users' wire or electronic communications while the user is not logged-in to
Facebook. For example:
a. Facebook' s "Help Center" states:

"What information does Facebook receive when I visit a site with
the Like button or another social plugin?
If you're logged out or don't have a Facebook account and visit a
website with the Like button or another social plugin, your browser
sends us a more limited set of information. For example, because
you're not logged in to Facebook, we don't receive your user ID."
Facebook Help Center, available at
http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=293506123997323#Whatinformation-does-Facebook-receive-when-I-visit-a-site-with-the-Likebutton-or-another-social-plugin? (last viewed 11/30/11).
b. Facebook's "Data Use Policy" states: "We receive data whenever you
visit a ... website that uses Facebook Platform or visit a site with a
Facebook feature ... This may include the date and time you visit the
site; the web address, or URL, you're on; technical information about
the IP address, browser and the operating system you use; and, if you
are logged in to Facebook, your user ID." Facebook Data Use Policy,
available at http://www.facebook.com/full data use_policy (last
viewed 11/30/11)(emphasis added).

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c. Facebook' s "Help Center" states:
"We do not use these cookies to create a profile of your browsing
behavior on third-party sites." Facebook Help Center, available at
http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=239530772765713#DoesFacebook-use-cookies-if-I-don't-have-an-account-or-have-logged-outof-my-account? (last viewed 11/30/11 ).
12.

Facebook has admitted that they have been tracking, collecting, storing

and using its users' wire and/or electronic communications while the users have been
logged-out ofFacebook.
13.

On September 28, 2011, U.S. Representative Edward Markey and U.S.

Representative Joe Barton, Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy
Caucus, submitted a joint letter to the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission
stating, "However, in this instance, Facebook has admitted to collecting information
about its users even after its users had logged out ofFacebook." (attached Exhibit A).
14.

Plaintiff did not give consent or otherwise authorize Facebook to intercept,

track, collect and store his wire and/or electronic communications while he was not
logged-in to Facebook.
15.

The electronic information procured while Plaintiff was not logged-in to

Facebook contained personal information and/or wire or electronic communications of
the Plaintiff.
16.

Defendant Facebook uses these "cookie" files to track, collect and store

wire and/or electronic communications of its users, including but not limited to the users
Internet browsing history.

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17.

Upon information and belief, Facebook aggregates this data and uses the

information in furtherance of its business.
18.

In said September 28, 2011letter, U.S. Representatives Markey and

Barton stated, "As co-Chairs of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, we
believe that tracking user behavior without their consent or knowledge raises serious
privacy concerns. When users log out ofF ace book, they are under the expectation that
Facebook is no longer monitoring their activities. We believe this impression should be
the reality. Facebook users should not be tracked without their permission."
19.

On September 29, 2011 The Electronic Privacy Information Center along

with The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Library Association, the Bill of
Rights Defense Committee, the Center for Digital Democracy, the Center for Media and
Democracy, Consumer Action, Consumer Watchdog, Privacy Activism, and Privacy
Times wrote to the Federal Trade Commission and stated, "Facebook's tracking of postlog-out Internet activity violates both the reasonable expectations of consumers and the
company's own privacy statements. Although Facebook has partially fixed the problem
caused by its tracking cookies, the company still places persistent identifiers on users'
browsers that collect post-log-out data and could be used to identify users." (attached
Exhibit B).
20.

At all material times, Defendant knew, or reasonably should have known,

that their actions violated clearly established statutory and other rights of the Plaintiff and
the Class members.

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21.

Facebook's actions are in contravention of the policies and procedures of

Facebook-affiliated websites, as those policies and procedures are expressed on the
websites of those affiliates. For Example:
a. The New York Times Privacy Policy states:
"If you have registered online for one of our sites, The New York Times
will not sell, rent, swap or authorize any third party to use your e-mail
address without your permission. This also applies to any information that
personally identifies you, except as noted immediately below;" and
"NYTimes.com will not share personal information about you as an
individual to third parties without your consent."
b. The Washington Post Privacy Policy states:

"Do other companies or people have access to personally identifiable
information I provide to washingtonpost.com?
When you are on an area of washingtonpost.com and are asked for
personally identifiable information, you are providing that information to
The Washington Post Company, its divisions or affiliates, or vendors
providing contractual services for washingtonpost.com (such as hosting
vendors and list managers). If personally identifiable information is being
provided to and/or maintained by any company other than these, our
policy is that we will not transfer that personally identifiable information
unless notice is given prior to transfer. If you do not want your
information to be shared, you can choose not to allow the transfer by not
using that particular service or by expressing this preference, if requested."

CLASS ACTION ALLEGATIONS
22.

This action is properly brought as a plaintiff class action pursuant to Fed.

R. Civ. P. 23(b)(3). Plaintiffbrings this action on his own behalf and all others similarly
situated, as representative of the following class and subclass:
All individuals in Rhode Island who subscribe/have subscribed to Facebook
and whose electronic Internet information was intercepted by Facebook when
the individuals were not logged-in to Facebook.

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Excluded from the Class are (1) any individual plaintiff who opts out of the class;

(2) any member of the immediate family of any individual defendant; and/or (3) any
member of the undersigned attorney's immediate families.
23.

The particular members of the Class are capable of being described

without difficult managerial or administrative problems. The members of the Class are
readily identifiable from the information and records in the possession or control of the
Defendants.
24.

The class members are so numerous that individual joinder of all members

is impractical. Upon information and belief, Defendants have intercepted the personal
information of millions ofFacebook users.

25.

There are questions of law and fact common to the Class that predominate

over questions affecting only individual class members. The wrongs suffered and
remedies sought are premised upon an unlawful scheme participated in by all Defendants.
The principle common issues include, but are not limited to the following:
a. The nature and extent of Defendants' participation in intercepting the
wire and/or electronic communications of class members;
b. Whether or not the interception of wire or electronic communications
was intentional;
c. Whether or not Defendant should be enjoined from intercepting any
wire or electronic communications without the consent of its users;
d. Whether the actions taken by Defendant in intercepting the wire or
electronic communications of Class members violated the Wiretap
Act;
e. The nature and extent to which the wire or electronic communications
of Plaintiff and the members of the Class were unlawfully intercepted,
tracked, stored or used;
f. The nature and extent of the actual damages suffered by Plaintiff and
members of the Class;
g. The nature and extent of the statutory penalties or damages for which
the Defendants are liable to the Plaintiff and Class members; and
h. Whether punitive damages are appropriate.

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26.

Plaintiffs claims are typical of those of the Class and are based on the

same legal and factual theories.
27.

Plaintiff will fairly and adequately represent and protect the interests of

the Class. Plaintiff has suffered injury in his own capacity from the practices complained
of and is ready, willing and able to serve as class representative. Moreover, Plaintiffs
counsel is experienced in handling class actions and mass torts. Neither Plaintiff nor his
counsel has any interest that might cause them not to vigorously pursue this action.
28.

Certification of a plaintiff class under Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b)(3) is

appropriate in that Plaintiff and the Class members seek monetary damages, common
questions predominate over any individual questions, and a class action is superior for the
fair and efficient adjudication of this controversy. A plaintiff class action will cause: (1)
orderly and expeditious administration of the Class members' claims, (2) economy of
time, effort and expense, and (3) uniformity of decisions. Moreover, the individual class
members are unlikely to be aware of their rights and not in a position (either through
experience or financially) to commence individual litigation against the Defendants.
29.

Alternatively, certification of a plaintiff class under Fed. R. Civ. P.

23 (b)(1) is appropriate in that inconsistent adjudications of individual Class members
would establish incompatible standards of conduct for the defendants. It would also
substantially impair or impede Class member's ability to protect their own interests.

COUNT I
(Violation of the Wiretap Act)
30.

Plaintiff incorporates all preceding paragraphs as though fully set forth

herein.

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31.

Defendant Facebook intercepted, collected, stored, and used wire and/or

electronic communications from its users.
32.

Defendant Facebook intercepted, collected, stored, and used this

information from its users without their consent while the users were logged-out of
Facebook.
33.

The transmission of data between Plaintiffs computer and the Internet

constitute "electronic communication" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 2510(12).
34.

Facebook's data collection practices as described herein constitute

"interceptions" within the meaning of§ 2510(4).
35.

Defendants violated 18 U.S.C. § 2511 in that the Defendants:
a. Intercepted, endeavored to intercept, or procured another person to
intercept wire and/or electronic communications of the Plaintiff;
b. Upon belief and predicated upon further discovery, disclosed or
endeavored to disclose to another person the contents of Plaintiff's
wire and/or electronic communications, knowing or having reason to
know that the information was obtained in violation of 18 U.S.C. §
2511;
c. Upon belief and predicated upon further discovery, by other actions as
well.

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff on behalf of himself and all members of the Class,
demands judgment against Defendants pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2520 for: (1) statutory
damages, (2) injunctive and declaratory relief, (3) punitive damages in an amount
sufficient to prevent the same or similar conduct by Facebook and others in the future,
and (4) reasonable attorney's fees and other litigation costs, plus interest. Plaintiff also
demands judgment against Defendants for all other damages arising from Defendants'
violation of 18 U.S.C. 2510 et seq., known as the "Wire Tap Act," plus interest and costs.

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COUNT II
(R.I.G.L. § 9-1-2)
36.

Plaintiff incorporates all preceding paragraphs as though fully set forth

37.

The "Wiretap Act" imposes criminal penalties in addition to statutory

herein.

damages.
38.

Plaintiff has suffered injuries as a result of Defendant's violating the

"Wiretap Act."
39.

Defendant is liable to Plaintiffpursuant to R.I.G.L. § 9-1-2.

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff on behalf of himself and all members of the Class,
demands judgment against Defendants pursuant to R.l.G.L. § 9-1-2 for injuries sustained
as a result of Defendant's violation of the "Wiretap Act."
COUNT III
(Unjust enrichment)
40.

Plaintiff incorporates all preceding paragraphs as though fully set forth

41.

Plaintiff conferred a benefit on Defendants without Plaintiffs consent,

herein.

namely access to his wire and/or electronic communications over the Internet.
42.

Acceptance and retention of such benefit without Plaintiffs consent is

unjust and inequitable without payment of compensation to the Plaintiff.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff on behalf of himself and all members of the Class,
demands judgment against Defendants in a just and equitable amount, including the
disgorgement of Defendants unlawful gains and proceeds, plus interest and costs and
whatever further relief this Honorable Court deems appropriate.

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COUNT IV
(Intrusion upon Seclusion)
43.

Plaintiff incorporates all preceding paragraphs as though fully set forth

44.

In intercepting Plaintiffs wire and/or electronic communications on the

herein.

Internet, Defendants intentionally intruded upon Plaintiffs solitude and/or seclusion in
violation ofR.I.G.L. § 9-1-28.1.
45.

Plaintiffs wire and/or electronic communications were entitled to be

private and were expected to be private.
46.

Plaintiff did not consent to Defendant's intrusions.

47.

Defendant's intentional intrusion on Plaintiffs solitude and/or seclusion

without his consent is highly offensive to a reasonable person.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff on behalf of himself and all members of the Class,
demands judgment against Defendants pursuant to R.I.G.L. § 9-1-28.1 for damages,
equitable relief and attorneys fees, plus interest and costs and whatever further relief this
Honorable Court deems appropriate.
COUNTV
(Breach of Contract)
48.

Plaintiff incorporates all preceding paragraphs as though fully set forth

49.

In exchange for allowing users to sign up for an account on its website,

herein.

www.facebook.com, Defendant Facebook requires its users to agree to a form contract,
which includes its Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

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50.

The Privacy Policy provides that Facebook does not track personal

account information from its users without their consent while the users are not logged-in
to Facebook.
51.

Defendant Facebook tracked, collected and stored its users' wire and/or

electronic communications, including but not limited to portions of their Internet
browsing history when the users were not logged-in to Facebook.

52.

In doing so, Facebook breached its contract with Plaintiff and members of

the Class.
53.

As a result of the breach of contract, Plaintiff and the Class members

suffered a substantial and ascertainable loss of money, property and/or other damages.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff on behalf of himself and all members of the Class,
demands judgment against Defendant for all damages resulting from this breach of
contract, plus interest and costs and whatever further relief this Honorable Court deems
appropriate.

COUNT VI
(R.I.G.L. § 6-13.1: Rhode Island Deceptive Trade Practices)

54.

Plaintiff incorporates all preceding paragraphs as though fully set forth

55.

The Rhode Island Deceptive Trade Practices Act was enacted to prohibit

herein.

"unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of
any trade or commerce." R.I.G.L. § 6-13.1-2.

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56.

Defendant Facebook's operation of the website, www.facebook.com,

constitutes "trade" and/or "commerce" within the meaning of the Rhode Island Deceptive
Trade Practices Act. R.I.G.L. § 6-13.1-1(5).
57.

Defendant Facebook intentionally intercepted and collected wire and/or

electronic communications from its users without consent or authorization and disclosed
such information to third-parties.
58.

In failing to disclose such conduct or obtain consent from Plaintiff and the

Class, Facebook employed an unfair trade practice and omitted, concealed and
suppressed material information and failed to inform Plaintiff and the Class of a material
fact in connection with its conduct of"trade" and/or "commerce" in violation ofR.I.G.L.

§ 6-13.1-2.
59.

The aforementioned violations of the Rhode Island Deceptive Trade

Practices Act have caused Plaintiff and the Class damages.
60.

Plaintiff has been forced to hire attorneys to enforce his rights under the

Rhode Island Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff on behalf of himself and all members of the Class,
demands judgment against Defendants pursuant to R.I.G.L. § 6-13.1 et seq. for damages,
equitable relief and attorneys fees, plus interest and costs and whatever further relief this
Honorable Court deems appropriate
PRAYER FOR RELIEF

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff, on behalf of himself and all members of the Class
respectfully prays for relief against the Defendants as follows:

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a. For an order certifying that this action may be maintained as a class action
under Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b)(3) or, in the alternative, Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b)(l)
and appointing Plaintiff as its representative;
b. For an order directing that reasonable notice of this action be given to all other
members of the Class as necessary and appropriate;
c. For a declaration that the Defendants' actions violated 18 U.S.C. § 2510 et

seq.;
d. For all actual damages, statutory damages, penalties, equitable relief,
attorneys fees and other remedies available for defendants' violations of 18
U.S.C. § 2510 et seq.;
e. That judgment be entered against Defendant for statutory damages pursuant to
18 u.s.c. § 2520;
f.

For a declaration that the Defendants, through their actions and misconduct,
have been unjustly enriched and an order that Defendants compensate Plaintiff
in a just and equitable amount, including disgorging Defendants' unlawful
gains and proceeds;

g. For a declaration that the Defendants, through their actions and misconduct,
have intruded upon the seclusion of the Plaintiff and all of the members of the
Class and an order that Defendants compensate Plaintiff pursuant to R.I.G.L.
§ 9-1-28.1 et seq. and for all other damages arising out of Defendants
violation ofR.I.G.L. § 9-1-28.1 et seq.

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h. For a declaration that the Defendants breached their contract with the Plaintiff
and an order that Defendants compensate Plaintiff for all damages arising out
of Defendants breach of contract;
1.

For a declaration that the Defendants tortiously interfered with a contract of
the Plaintiff and an order that Defendants compensate Plaintiff for all damages
arising out of Defendants tortious interference;

J.

For a declaration that the Defendants were in violation ofR.I.G.L. § 6-13.1 et
seq. and an order that Defendants compensate Plaintiff for all damages
pursuant to R.I.G.L. § 6-13.1 et seq. and/or all other damages arising out of
Defendants violation ofR.I.G.L. § 6-13.1 et seq.

k. That Plaintiff and the Class recover pre-judgment interest and post-judgment
interest as permitted by law;

1. For an award to Plaintiff and the Class of their reasonable attorneys fees and
other litigation costs reasonably incurred pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2520(b)(3),
R.I.G.L. § 6-13.1-5.2(d), other statutes and/or equity;
m. That the Court enter an order granting Plaintiff and the Class a preliminary
and permanent injunction restraining and enjoining Defendant from any act to
intercept electronic information from its users when they are not logged-in
and from disclosing any of the information already acquired on its servers;
n. That the Court grant such other and further relief as may be just and proper.

JURY DEMAND
Plaintiff demands a trial by jury on all issues so triable.

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Respectfully Submitted,

ark . Mandell (#0502)
MAN ELL, SCHWARTZ & BOISCLAIR
One Park Row
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Telephone: [phone]
Facsimile: [phone]
[e-mail]

ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF

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