Facebook wins $873 mn judgment against spammer

SAN JOSE (CALIFORNIA): Facebook has won a $873 million judgment against a Canadian man who bombarded users with millions of unsolicited messages about drugs and sex.

US District Judge Jeremy Fogel signed the default judgment Friday, resolving a lawsuit that Facebook filed in August against Adam Guerbuez of Montreal and his business, Atlantis Blue Capital.

Facebook alleged that Guerbuez had fooled users into revealing their passwords so he could send out more than 4 million messages that included promotions for marijuana. Guerbuez could not be located for comment.

The Palo Alto, California-based company predicted the judgment will be difficult to collect, but is hoping that its size discourages future abuses at its site.