Meta accused of stealing data of hundreds of millions: Consumer organizations file lawsuit
Eight European-based consumer rights organizations have filed a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, on the grounds that it has illegally collected the data of hundreds of millions of people in Europe.
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The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), an umbrella group for 45 different consumer rights groups across Europe, announced that eight of its member groups took Meta to court on February 29. According to the statement, the organizations filed complaints with legal authorities in their respective countries under national data protection laws.
The organizations allege that Meta collects information about its users, including data used to understand their sexual orientation, emotional states, and even their susceptibility to addiction.
According to the complainants, the data Meta collects is gathered without user consent. It is claimed that the company's practices violate the European Union's data privacy law and certain sections of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
In a statement, the BEUC said, "With its illegal practices, Meta fuels a surveillance-based advertising system that tracks consumers online and collects vast amounts of personal data to show them advertisements."
Last year, the EU fined Meta 1.3 billion Euros for storing data collected in Europe on servers in the US in violation of regulations.
'PAY OR CONSENT' POLICY HAD BEEN COMPLAINED ABOUT
According to the BEUC's claim, Meta's offer of ad-free usage to European users for 12.99 Euros per month, while forcing users who do not pay to accept 'personalized ads,' amounts to offering users an unfair and misleading choice.
The organization had previously complained about this practice by Meta last November on the grounds that it was an 'aggressive' and 'unfair' commercial practice.
Ursula Pachl, deputy director general of the BEUC, stated regarding Meta's practices: "The essence of the offer Meta makes to users is covered with mirrors and smoke. At the core of the company's policies is the seizure of all kinds of sensitive information about people's lives and then monetizing it through an invasive advertising model."