Ok one more thing - what about the Facebook customers who are blissfully ignorant to what's going on and they buy advertising knowing about privacy abuse? I think the customers should also be fined as they benefit just as Facebook benefits.
They might act unethically, but legally it's not their responsibility. They may not have the means to figure out whether FB is obeying the laws (after all, this is what the court is trying to figure out). They also may or may not have another viable choice.
Maybe. But the reason they would say it is because it can be a valid excuse, right? We fund the state and the justice system for a few very specific reasons. This is one of them.
Also, don't forget that FB is a (near) monopoly, so the advertisers depend on them just as much as the customers. Especially the small ones.
A lot of people have been using Facebook ads so it is understandable that this direction will have a massive pushback from anyone who used them. But that means Facebook becomes a "fall guy" rather than justice being served.
