wordpress blog stats
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

, , , ,

Facebook and Instagram sued for accessing smartphone cameras without consent

Instagram constantly accesses a smartphone’s camera while the app is open, and monitors users without seeking their consent, a new lawsuit has alleged. It does so to gain valuable insight into how users interact with ads on the platform, in order to target ads and further increase its advertising revenue, it added. By doing so, Instagram and parent Facebook have been to monitor users’ most intimate moments, including those in the privacy of their own homes, in addition to collecting valuable insight and market research on its users, the lawsuit alleged. Bloomberg first reported this. The lawsuit sought appropriate compensation, and also an order requiring Facebook and Instagram to “disgorge profits or other benefits” that they have “acquired as a result of its invasions of privacy”. The lawsuit was filed after reports emerged that Instagram had access to iPhone users’ camera even though they hadn’t allowed the app to do so. It also said that Instagram’s practise was violative of the California Consumer Privacy Act. Why the lawsuit was filed: With the new iOS14, Apple’s operating system for iPhones and iPads for 2020, the company had introduced a slew of additional notifications — among which was a notification whenever an app accessed an iPhone’s camera (a green indicator) or mic (a yellow indicator). By virtue of these additional notifications, it was reportedly found that Instagram was accessing the camera of iPhones even though users hadn’t consented to it. Upon discovery, Instagram defended itself by saying that a bug was causing…

Please subscribe/login to read the full story.
Written By

Free Reads

News

With GPS in every car, India's toll collection is going high-tech.

News

Google is currently undergoing the necessary procedures for the leasehold land, which is presently under the ownership of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation.

News

The pilot project for which is being launched in 19 cities this year, with a plan to launch a full-fledged rollout next year.

MediaNama’s mission is to help build a digital ecosystem which is open, fair, global and competitive.

Views

News

NPCI CEO Dilip Asbe recently said that what is not written in regulations is a no-go for fintech entities. But following this advice could...

News

Notably, Indus Appstore will allow app developers to use third-party billing systems for in-app billing without having to pay any commission to Indus, a...

News

The existing commission-based model, which companies like Uber and Ola have used for a long time and still stick to, has received criticism from...

News

Factors like Indus not charging developers any commission for in-app payments and antitrust orders issued by India's competition regulator against Google could contribute to...

News

Is open-sourcing of AI, and the use cases that come with it, a good starting point to discuss the responsibility and liability of AI?...

You May Also Like

News

Google has released a Google Travel Trends Report which states that branded budget hotel search queries grew 179% year over year (YOY) in India, in...

Advert

135 job openings in over 60 companies are listed at our free Digital and Mobile Job Board: If you’re looking for a job, or...

News

By Aroon Deep and Aditya Chunduru You’re reading it here first: Twitter has complied with government requests to censor 52 tweets that mostly criticised...

News

Rajesh Kumar* doesn’t have many enemies in life. But, Uber, for which he drives a cab everyday, is starting to look like one, he...

MediaNama is the premier source of information and analysis on Technology Policy in India. More about MediaNama, and contact information, here.

© 2008-2021 Mixed Bag Media Pvt. Ltd. Developed By PixelVJ

Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Name:*
Your email address:*
*
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

© 2008-2021 Mixed Bag Media Pvt. Ltd. Developed By PixelVJ