Federal Court Allows Service On Foreign Defendants Through Facebook

Did you think Facebook was just for “likes” and “status” updates? Think again! A federal district court in New York recently tackled the issue of service of process via social media head on, permitting service via Facebook as a backup means of service for serving foreign defendants.

In the case of Federal Trade Commission v. PCCare247, Inc., the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) sued multiple defendants, including five based in India. The foreign defendants included two businesses and three individuals. According to the FTC, the defendants had violated certain provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act by developing a business to deceive American consumers into fixing non-existent computer problems. The FTC had already secured a temporary restraining order against the defendants, which enjoined specific business practices and froze some of the defendants’ assets.

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