Facebook is currently accused of violating the official Wiretap Act, which is part of federal law, and also violating user privacy rights strictly under California law. The new nationwide lawsuit was reportedly filed by four different individuals who want Facebook to pay up $15 billion in damages for their actions that took place through April 2010 and September 2011.
Facebook tracks users through 'like' button
According to the story by The Sun on Tuesday, March 23, the complainants noted that Facebook is tracking user activity through features just like the popular Facebook "like" button. Facebook is then accused of using the supposed information that was collected for advertising purposes as well as selling data to its advertisers for a profit.
The court paper then says that Facebook had reportedly stopped nonconsensual tracking as of 2011. Facebook is also adamant that it protects its user policy and also should have to face liability for certain common practices. Websites that sometimes have Facebook "plug-ins" are actually tracking the browsing history.
Facebook plugins
These particular plug-ins are why users might look at an item of clothing then simply see it advertised on every other type of website that the user clicks on. Facebook notes it actually does not violate the whole Wiretap Act due to them not collecting data in secret. It was clarified that Facebook was technically not an uninvited interloper to a set communication between two different parties. It was rather a direct participant.
As of the moment, it is quite hard to keep up with what Facebook is being sued for due to the countless lawsuits stretching from the United States all the way to Australia. A post on About.fb.com notes that Australian publishers still aren't allowed to post on the platform as Facebook also blocks news being shared by Australia through the use of their application.
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Facebook Australia news
This particular move came shortly after the Australian government required tech giants like Google and Facebook to pay the news publishers for news being shared on their platform. While Google did strike a deal with their government, Facebook held off access to a number of content for Australians on their platform.
Despite the post on Facebook regarding blocking out Australian news, an article by BBC was published shortly after saying the social media has re-friended the government and will be working out how to share Australian news with terms that would benefit both parties. Update regarding the status of Facebook in Australia has become quiet.
As of the moment, there is not that much information regarding what Facebook and their relationship in Australia but back in the United States, the social media giant has been met with yet again more lawsuits. The most recent lawsuit focuses on certain features that Facebook uses to track its users behavior and use it for the company's target ads business. These features include the popular "like" button which is one of Facebook's most iconic features.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian Buenconsejo
