An Austrian student reportedly lost his huge class-action lawsuit appeal against Facebook

Austrian law student and privacy activist Max Schrems has reportedly lost his appeal over a class-action lawsuit he brought against Facebook over alleged privacy violations. 

In July, a Viennese court had rejected Schrems class-action, brought on behalf of 25,000 European Facebook-using claimants. Schrems subsequently appealed this decision - resulting in today's verdict.

The court rejected the case in July because it said it didn't have the necessary jurisdiction, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time.

Politico reported the news in a tweet sent Tuesday morning:

Schrems has been a vocal critic of Facebook and US government surveillance in Europe. Earlier this month, he scored a major victory when the European Court of Justice (ECJ), Europe's highest court, struck down the Safe Harbor scheme often used to legitimise the transfer of data across the Atlantic. 

This has left American companies scrambling for alternate legal methods for transferring data, lest they be targeted by zealous European regulators.

This is a developing story - check back for updates. Business Insider has reached out to Max Schrems for comment.