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Class Action Launched against Classmates.com
A California man has launched a class action lawsuit against one of the Internet’s oldest social networking sites, Classmates.com, which was launched in 1995. The lawsuit centers around an advertising strategy that tells users who have posted a free profile that former classmates are trying to contact them. In order to see who has visited the profile or sent a message, Classmates.com users are required to upgrade their membership.
The message received by the representative plaintiff that former classmates were trying to contact him turned out to be false. While it appears that some members of the site did indeed try to view the plaintiff’s profile, the plaintiff did not know who those members were. As such, he claims that he was defrauded in the amount he paid to upgrade his membership account, being $15.00. For a site that boasts 40 million users, the claim is potentially a significant one for Classmates.com.
For additional information, visit:
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2008/11/classmates