Facebook has been slapped with claims alleging the company used its apps to spy on users and their friends.
In lawsuit claims filed in a California court, a now-defunct startup named Six4Three said that Facebook used a variety of methods to track user locations, monitor their use of other apps, and track and read their text messages, The Guardian is reporting after obtaining a copy of the claims. The court documents also allege that Facebook used its apps to monitor calls and could identify information about those that weren’t even on the social network.
The l awsuit between Facebook and Six4Three has actually been ongoing for the last couple of years. The latest claims were made earlier this year, but weren’t revealed in the court documents until this week. It alleges that Facebook would collect the data for its own commercial purposes and track users without their consent.
However, Facebook would collect different information depending on the phone it was tracking, the documents allege. On Android devices, for instance, Facebook could collect text message content, among other data. On the iPhone, Facebook is alleged to have accessed photos, including images that weren’t shared on the social network, the lawsuit says.
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For its part, Facebook has denied all the allegations and said that it will defend itself. In a statement to The Guardian, Facebook said the claims “have no merit.”
For now, much of the information on the alleged activities was redacted in the court documents, according to the report. Facebook will need to submit documents of its own on Tuesday to ensure the details remain redacted.
Facebook did not immediately respond to a Coins2Day request for comment on the report.
