District Judge Richard Seeborg threw out a potential class action lawsuit against Facebook over its use of photos of minors in targeted ads. The judge ruled that users gave their consent when they signed up for the social network.

The suit was claiming that "commercial misappropriation" was at the root of the issue as the names and pics of minors who were using the social network were stuck in targeted advertising.

But the judge ruled that the plaintiffs had failed to show that its "statement of rights and responsibilities" (SRR) was unenforceable. The judge said the statement was equivalent to written consent.

Seeborg wrote in his ruling: "Facebook users have, in effect, simply granted Facebook the right to use their names in pictures in certain specified situations, in exchange for whatever benefits they may realise from using the Facebook site."