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Three Messenger users suing Facebook over alleged privacy violations

Three Facebook Messenger users are throwing the book at the social media giant over alleged privacy violations.
By
March 28, 2018
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TL;DR
  • Facebook is being sued by three Messenger users over allegedly logging phone call and text message data.
  • The accusers say Facebook violated their privacy.
  • Facebook confirmed earlier this week that it collects phone and text data, but claims it’s part of an opt-in feature.

Three Facebook Messenger users are suing the social media giant over alleged privacy violations. The trio say that Facebook logged their phone calls and text messages—seemingly without permission.

The report arrived via Reuters earlier today, which said that the suit was filed on Tuesday with a federal court in the Northern District of California. The suit is seeking class-action status “on behalf of all affected users.”

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This news comes in the wake of other reports regarding alleged data misuse. A man recently tweeted that Facebook had recorded two years-worth of his call and text data without his consent. Facebook said it collects this as part of an opt-in feature that can be stopped at any time. The company also said data collected in this way is never sold to third parties.

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The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is currently investigating Facebook in response to the recent Cambridge Audio Analytica scandal, while companies such as Tesla and Playboy are reportedly ditching the platform (as WhatsApp co-found Brian Acton recently recommended). Facebook is also facing a number of other lawsuits from shareholders and users.

In related news, Bloomberg reports that Facebook is postponing the launch of its first smart speaker due to its current situation. The rumored device had been tipped for a May unveiling, but current privacy concerns may blunt its appeal.

If you have concerns over what Facebook knows about you, check out our article on how to view your personal Facebook data. For how to update your Facebook privacy settings, hit that link instead.

Next up: Go ahead, delete Facebook. You’ll be back.