Facebook to Face Legal Action in UK Over 'Illegal' Data Use, Campaign Group Says

The case revolves around user data that Facebook allowed to be mined by the parent company of now-defunct political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook to Face Legal Action in UK Over 'Illegal' Data Use, Campaign Group Says

Group action focuses on data gathered on those using the "thisisyourdigitallife" app, hosted by Facebook

Highlights
  • The data of 87 million people globally was mined from the app
  • The data was used for political advertising
  • Facebook had not received any documents regarding the legal claim
Advertisement

A campaign group on Thursday said it was taking legal action against Facebook in Britain over what it claimed was the US social network's "illegal use of one million users' data".

"Facebook You Owe Us" said the case revolves around user data that Facebook allowed to be mined by the parent company of now-defunct British political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

Critics alleged the information was used to sway voters in the 2016 referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.

"When we use Facebook, we expect that our personal data is being used responsibly, transparently, and legally," said Alvin Carpio, a human rights campaigner leading the legal action. 

"We rightly expect that... Facebook does not leave the door open for third parties to abuse our data. 

"By failing to protect our personal information from abuse, we believe that Facebook broke the law. We will fight to hold Facebook to account."

The group action focuses on data gathered on those using the "thisisyourdigitallife" app, hosted by Facebook.

It was discovered that the data of 87 million people globally was mined from the app and used for political advertising.

Britain's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) last year fined the social media giant GBP 5,00,000 (roughly Rs. 5 crores) for its role in the scandal. 

"The ICO's investigation found that between 2007 and 2014, Facebook processed the personal information of users unfairly by allowing application developers access to their information without sufficiently clear and informed consent, and allowing access even if users had not downloaded the app, but were simply 'friends' with people who had," said the report.

But the ICO earlier this month reported that it had found no evidence that Cambridge Analytica had misused data to influence the Brexit referendum in so far as it related to US users.

Facebook told AFP it had not received any documents regarding the legal claim.


Are iPhone 12 mini, HomePod mini the Perfect Apple Devices for India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Facebook
Rare Halloween Blue Moon to Appear on October 31 After 19 Years
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »