Two Los Angeles County teenagers are suing Facebook, claiming the social networking giant effectively sold their names and images to advertisers without parental permission.
The lawsuit, filed Aug. 26 in Los Angeles, challenges a Facebook feature that allows members to note that they like an advertised service or product. Facebook broadcasts those endorsements to the user’s friends.
The lawsuit also claims minors unwittingly endorse Facebook when people typing their names in a search engine are steered to a Facebook sign-up page.
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Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said the lawsuit is meritless. He noted that Facebook doesn’t allow users under 18 to let their profiles appear on public search engines.
University of Minnesota law professor Bill McGeveran, who has much experience in social media and legal issues, told Online Media Daily that “the borderline between conversation and advertising is really blurry in social networking.”
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