Despite the tracking restrictions implemented last year by Apple, Meta has found a way to keep tracking its users on the Facebook and Instagram iOS apps. A fraudulent practice that is now worth a class action lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg’s firm.
In view of Meta habitual practicesThe opposite would have been surprising. We learned in August that the company circumvented tracking restrictions put in place by Apple by hosting a tracing specially developed by the users of its applications Facebook Y instagram on iPhone and iPad.
To do this, Goal relies on the browser built into its services (which is launched by default when you click a link on Instagram, for example) and monitors the smallest actions and gestures of users: clicks, keyboard inputs are filtered , the various interactions or the fixed text selections. This method allows Meta to collect a lot of information about its users, such as certain contact details, their passwords, or even their banking information. All in total contradiction with the policy ofApplication Tracking Transparency (ATT) implemented by Apple with iOS 14.5. A policy based on user consent which had already caused a lot of friction between Meta and Apple.
Users turn against Meta via class action lawsuit
In the United States, the discovery of this alternative tracking method has led some users to band together to launch a class action lawsuit against Meta. Featured last week in the Federal Court of San Francisco (California), this class action accuses Meta of violating Apple’s ATT policy, but also US laws (state and federal) by collecting user data – without their consent – through its Facebook and Instagram applications.
The legal action in this case focuses on the use of this internal browser to replace, on the iPhone, the usual launch of Safari to open links. This practice, discussed above, further allows Meta to inject tracking JavaScript code called ” metapixel on all links and websites displayed. ” This allows Meta to intercept, monitor, and record your users’ interactions and communications with third parties, thereby providing Meta with data that it aggregates, analyzes, and uses to increase its advertising revenue. “, details the complaint.
contacted by MacRumorsMeta, for its part, claims to have designed its in-app browser in such a way that it respects its users’ choices in terms of privacy and tracking. ” These accusations are unfounded and we will vigorously defend ourselves. We have designed our in-app browser to respect users’ privacy choices, including the use of data that may be used for ads. “, we read from a press release shared with the specialized site.
To follow us, we invite you to download our app for Android and iOS. You can read our articles, archives and watch our latest YouTube videos.