Meta accused (again) of illegally acquiring data

Meta still ends up in the target of a class action. This time, in fact, the Facebook iOS app e Instagram they are accused of bypassing the transparency of application tracking, and of collecting user data without authorization.

Facebook and Instagram accused of collecting user data without authorization

Starting with iOS 14 theApp Tracking Transparency Apple’s (ATT) requires Apps to stop tracking users unless they explicitly give their consent to do so. A system that Meta has repeatedly attacked, as it cost him the loss of over $ 10 billion on anticipated earnings. Yet, according to what Bloomberg reported, now a new class action lawsuit claims that Facebook and Instagram’s iOS apps have bypassed the ATT e collected data regardless of user preferences.

The lawsuit, filed with the San Francisco federal court, is all based on research data from Felix Krause, data privacy researcher and former Google engineer. According to this survey, Facebook and Instagram apps would release a JavaScript code on websites visited by users, which would allow Meta to track all actions made by users. A system that goes beyond the normal monitoring for advertising purposes, and which could also the possibility of acquiring the passwords used by users.

The lawsuit also claims that Facebook opens web links in your in-App browser, rather than using Safari or whatever the user’s default browser is. “This allows Meta to intercept, monitor and record the interactions and communications of its users with third parties,” argues the class action. For its part, Meta has not publicly commented on the cause. However, Krause’s report said the company acknowledged monitoring browser activity but denied the allegation of illegal data collection.