Previously, news broke out that Facebook Messenger and Lite were scrapping call logs and text history from Android devices, the company said that it didn’t do it in secret and with an ulterior motive. The social network got access to that data due to Android’s odd permission system, and it only collected information from users who agreed to give the app permission to access their contact list.
While Facebook provided this explanation, it wasn’t enough for three users who have filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing them of violating their privacy by collecting their call and text history.
Reuters said that the lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California federal could is seeking out class action status on behalf of all users that were affected by this and are asking for unspecified damages. The judge still has to decided whether enough people were affected by the issue before the case can be allowed to move forward as a class action.
Facebook in its defense said that it didn’t sell all the call and text data it obtained form Android phones and that it never had access to people’s texts. It remains to be seen if the company’s assurance is good enough for most people or that they will sough out hard evidence to show Facebook isn’t lying. After all, the company is facing a lot of issues due to the recent Cambridge Analytica controversy.
