Facebook loses bid to prevent girl suing over naked picture

In a major setback for the social media giant Facebook, the company has lost a legal bid to prevent a 14-year-old girl from suing it over her naked picture that was posted on a "shame page" on the platform as an act of revenge.

A high court judge in Northern Ireland's capital Belfast on Monday rejected Facebook's attempt to have the claim by the girl struck out, The Guardian reported on Monday.

The victim is also taking a legal action against the man who allegedly posted the picture on Facebook.

A lawyer for the teenager even compared the publishing of the photo to a method of child abuse.

The girl has sought damages for misuse of private information, negligence and breach of the Data Protection Act.

Her photograph was said to have been posted on a so-called shame page on Facebook several times between November 2014 and January 2016.

The girl's legal team argued that Facebook had the power to block any re-publication by using a tracking process to identify the image to which a lawyer for Facebook said the claim for damages should be dismissed as the company always took down the picture when it was notified.

Facebook's lawyers relied on an European directive that they claimed provides protection from having to monitor a vast amount of online material for what is posted on one page.

The case against Facebook and the man who it is claimed originally posted the picture will now move to full trial in Belfast at a later date.