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Now it can be told, Facebook is facing a class action suit in a court in Vienna filed by 25,000 of its users for alleged privacy rights violations. Also brought in the fray is the tech giant's participation in the PRISM program of the US NSA (National Security Agency).

From the looks of it, it seems American tech companies are getting a beating in Europe. Search Giant Google is being investigated in a European antritrust investigation and Apple is being scrutinized in Ireland for its low corporate tax arrangements - not to mention possible antitrust questioning from the European Commission for its still-to-launch new music streaming service.

An Angry Crowd

The class action suit is being led by an Austrian law graduate named Max Schrems. Although there are already 25,000 FB users involved - mostly based in Europe - many others are just waiting to take part in what could be the tech giant's first major legal trouble, according to SkyNews.

Of the 25,000, a thousand comes from UK and Ireland while users from Germany number about 5,000.

Citing Facebook's "Wild West" approach into data protection, Schrems detail, ""Basically, we are asking Facebook to stop mass surveillance, to (have) a proper privacy policy that people can understand, but also to stop collecting data of people that are not even Facebook users."

Schrems is seeking a £360-compensation per user and has brought the the suit to Dublin, where the social network has its European headquarters.

To note, 80% of the tech giant's 1.3 billion users outside of Canada and the US are registered in the Dublin HQ.

Slippery Eel

Max Schrems has been actively hounding Facebook bringing individual cases of privacy violations to its Dublin office since August 2014.

However, the tech giant just brushed it off in November saying the lawsuit was "not admissible."

The class-action lawsuit centers on FB's alleged abuses on its users major rights including: illicit collection and forwarding of user data, invalid privacy policies, Spying of users through the "apps" and "like" buttons, participation in the NSA 'PRISM' program, according to TechNews.

Schrems says he was compelled to file the case in his own home town as it may not prosper in Dublin, Ireland where Facebook would have found a way out of it by arguing "a lawsuit of a larger number of users would be illegal in Ireland because such a lawsuit would violate the 'public order' of Ireland."

Further, the law graduate added, "Most arguments by Facebook are really a comedy program for any informed lawyer. Partly they are even trying to reach their conclusions through rather obscure allegations. Right now I view these arguments mainly as an act of desperation. If Facebook would have a better case, they would not have to engage in these shaky arguments."

It seems the social network facing an uphill battle and is doing everything it can to nip the suit in the bud.

However, this time Facebook may have to face the music.