Facebook to Settle a Privacy Lawsuit with Android Users

Why does Facebook collect data about phone calls on Android devices? How does this violation comply with its terms and conditions? These questions asked by some Android users led Facebook to court. And now it’s ready to settle the suit, finally admitting the intrusion.

It started four years ago when an Android developer named Dylan McKay noticed that Facebook was collecting data about phone calls on his phone: name, number, and duration. And not those of calls on Messenger: of regular phone calls. When Dylan published his observations, he appeared to be not the only one, which finally led to a public investigation and a class action against Facebook.

These lawsuits take years, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California has been viewing them until recently. After four years, though, Meta is ready to settle the dispute even before the final verdict. While Judge Richard Seeborg has yet to finally approve the settlement terms, Meta has shown that everything is talkable. It’s a significant shift from its starting position; in 2018 Facebook said that providing phone call data had been optional and users themselves were responsible for opting to agree.

These four years, though, have seen great changes in public attitude towards user privacy and security. In 2018, Facebook could act that ignorantly; in 2022, it’s too risky. It’s worth noticing, though, that the judge admitted that there was no evidence of Facebook abusing or misusing user data. The actual harm the app did, though, was recognized as unnecessarily using storage and battery power.

Do you want to check now whether your Facebook app collects your phone call data? Is it really a menace to your privacy or security? Will this settlement stop these attempts? Tell us what you think about it!