A class-action lawsuit against Facebook with major ramifications for privacy in Internet communications moved one step closer to trial, Courthouse News Service reports. The case, which claims Facebook illegally mines private messages for advertising, would be the first to claim users have property rights in their Facebook messages. Chief U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton partially certified the class in the lawsuit, which claims Facebook illegally mines private messages in order to search for third-party URLs to increase the “likes” on those pages. Hamilton ruled the class definition hit most statutory requirements for certification, with the exception for predominance involving damages, the report states. "The decision about whether or not to reduce an excessive damages award would necessarily involve individual questions about whether each specific class member's award was excessive," Hamilton wrote, while giving the plaintiffs until June 8 to file an amended complaint.
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