Meta accused of 'massive illegal' data collection

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), the umbrella body of 45 consumer groups, said eight of these groups had filed complaints with their respective national data protection authorities on Thursday (February 29).

The groups argue that Meta collects an unnecessary amount of information about its users, such as data used to infer their sexual orientation, emotional state, or even their likelihood of addiction.

The groups argue that the company's practices violate European Union data privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR.

meta high level illegal data collection no image 1 — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: Reuters

“Through its illegal activities, Meta leverages the advertising system by tracking consumers online and collecting large amounts of personal data for the purpose of displaying advertisements to them,” BEUC said in a statement.

Meta denies the allegations. “We take our legal obligations extremely seriously and are confident that our approach is compliant with GDPR,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

Thursday's complaints are likely to expose Meta — which has been the subject of years of intense legal scrutiny in Europe — to more legal action.

Last May, EU regulators fined the tech giant a record 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) for violating GDPR rules by transferring Facebook users' personal data to servers in the US.

The fine remains the largest ever imposed under the law in the EU since 2018, according to the European Data Protection Commission. “We are seriously concerned about Meta’s activities,” a spokesperson for the Norwegian Data Protection Authority said on Thursday.

Mai Van (according to CNN)

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