Social media giant Meta has been on the agenda with privacy scandals for years. In the new investigation opened in the USA, Facebook and Instagram are accused of deliberately hosting millions of underage users.
Do Instagram and Facebook track data of users under 18?
According to the complaint filed by 33 US state attorneys general, Meta was negligent with millions of Instagram accounts belonging to users under the age of 13. US law prohibits collecting data from children under 13. Although Meta had information on this issue, he did not take action.
Meta’s internal documents were discussed in the investigation initiated by the Chief Public Prosecutors. It turned out that the company routinely analyzed the data of large numbers of underage Instagram users. However, the investigation alleges that Meta only concealed some of these accounts.
Meta was also stated to “keep an eye on and track” underage users. It was stated that the company, which examined these accounts to attract more users, collected personal data from children, including e-mail address and location.
If these allegations are proven, Meta could be in big trouble. It is possible for each institution to impose fines of up to 50 thousand dollars per user. This means Meta could face a fine reaching billions of dollars.
Meta stated that this investigation mischaracterized the company’s work. The social media giant said underage users are prohibited from being on its platforms and remove accounts when detected.
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