Facebook Faces Lawsuit Over 'Fraudulent Scheme' to Exploit Data – Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg is facing a lawsuit over allegations that he devised a "malicious" scheme to exploit user data and drive his rivals out of business, British media reported on Thursday.

The former startup company called Six4Three filed the lawsuit in the superior court of San Mateo in California last week, alleging that Zuckerberg developed a "malicious and fraudulent scheme" that "weaponized" Facebook's ability to access the data of users, the Guardian reported, citing court documents.

The case, which draws upon extensive internal emails and messages between Facebook executives, names Zuckerberg individually, saying he oversaw the scheme personally, the report added.

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Facebook rejected all claims and said it has no basis. The social network promised to continue to defend itself vigorously.

The court has given Facebook until next Tuesday to file a motion to request that the evidence in the case remain sealed, otherwise the documents will be released to the public, the report said.

A trial date for the case has been set for April 2019, the report added.