Meta accused of ‘massive, illegal’ data processing

According to CNN, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), an umbrella body for 45 consumer groups, said eight of the groups were filing complaints with their respective national data protection authorities Thursday, accusing Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, of carrying out a “massive” and “illegal” operation of collecting data from hundreds of millions of users in the region.

The groups claim that Meta collects an unnecessary amount of information on its users such as data used to infer their sexual orientation, emotional state or even their susceptibility to addiction, which they are unable to freely consent to.

Bruce Schneier, the internationally renowned security technologist, commented on this as early as 2015 when he stated:
In business, personal information has become a sort of raw material. Many smartphone apps can afford to be free because the companies that develop them sell the users’ personal data, something barely explained in the terms and conditions. If the service is free, then you’re the product, goes an old saw in Silicon Valley.

At the time of writing, on their website https://about.meta.com/ they state that – Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities and grow businesses.
It seems that as long as there are people who want to ‘grow businesses’ there will be people willing to sell them data that can assist with this…

While we will keep an eye on these proceedings, Pfortner believes that digital privacy is a basic human right and that governments, companies and individuals should protect their private communications through tools such as end-to-end encryption.

If you, too, believe in data privacy and are looking to secure your sensitive communications, have a look at www.pfortner.co.za or alternatively, SCHEDULE A CALL WITH US, where we discuss your secure communications concerns with no obligations.

For more information on PFORTNER offerings, have a look at our product page at https://www.pfortner.co.za/solutions/ or alternatively, you could Schedule a Call with Us.