Meta sued for collecting personal data to target adverts

In this time of great advancements, there are many pros and cons of technology. If used for a good purpose they end up helping users a lot. But many use the technology with the wrong intentions which leads them to the offensive of cybercrime. The same goes for social media platforms. Many times social media platforms keep on collecting data that is used further for advertising purposes and that is also unethical. Meta has a policy of spying on the users on websites that are accessed through their apps. Keeping in view this, a human rights campaigner has sued Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of META claiming that the company is disregarding her objection over her personal information collection through the app to target adverts.

The name of the girl who has filed a lawsuit again Mark Zuckerberg alleging it has breached UK data laws is Tanya O’Carroll. For this, it is important to understand how Facebook generates revenue. It actually gets money from building profiles of users and matching them with advertisers who direct ads by targeting people having specific interests and backgrounds.

Collecting personal data to target adverts- A new Norm for Social Media companies

While talking at a radio program, O’Carroll said:

 “This case is really about us all being able to connect with social media on our own terms, and without having to essentially accept that we should be subjected to hugely invasive tracking surveillance profiling just to be able to access social media.”

O’Carroll belongs to Foxglove which is a UK legal campaign group that focuses on bringing accountability to the technology industry. According to her, Facebook has breached article 21 (2) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Article 21 gives the right to people to protest against the usage of their personal data.

“With this case, I’m really using this right that’s long been there on the law books, but has been up until now not been exercised, which is to simply say ‘I object’, and if we are successful in that then everybody will have that right,”

Regarding this case, Meta’s spokesperson said:

 “We know that privacy is important to our users and we take this seriously. That’s why we build tools like privacy check-up and ads preferences, where we explain what data people have shared and show how they can exercise control over the type of ads they see.”

No doubt, collecting information for advertisement purposes and using them, later on, is a big red flag when it comes to social media. In past, Meta was accused of the Cambridge Analytica scandal so this is nothing new for the company but let’s see where this lawsuit will take Facebook. What do you think will social media companies stop collecting users’ personal information and misusing it? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also Read: Facebook removes Religion, politics & Sexuality Views from Profiles