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ACCC takes Federal Court action against Facebook over Onavo Protect VPN service
Posted
WedWednesday 16
updated
WedWednesday 16
DecDecember 2020 at 2:45am
The ACCC says Facebook tracked records of every app accessed and the number of seconds spent each day on those apps.
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Australia s consumer watchdog is taking on social media giant Facebook, accusing the company and two of its subsidiaries of misleading and deceptive conduct relating to a mobile phone app.
Key points:
But the ACCC says the company collected significant volumes of personal data
The app is no longer available
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges Facebook claimed its app, Onavo Protect, would keep users data private, but instead used the data commercially.
Australia suing Facebook over use of VPN user data
published : 16 Dec 2020 at 11:43 (Photo: Reuters)
SYDNEY: Australia s consumer watchdog launched legal action against Facebook on Wednesday, alleging the social media giant misled thousands of Australians by collecting user data from a free VPN service advertised as private.
The platform could face a fine if found guilty of deceiving users, as Australia takes an increasingly assertive stance towards powerful US tech titans.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused Facebook and two of its subsidiaries Facebook Israel and Onavo Inc of misleading people who downloaded its virtual private network (VPN) app Onavo Protect, by collecting and using their very detailed and valuable personal activity data .
ADDS Facebook statement
Australia s consumer watchdog launched legal action against Facebook on Wednesday, alleging the social media giant misled thousands of Australians by collecting user data from a free VPN service advertised as private.
The platform could face a fine if found guilty of deceiving users, as Australia takes an increasingly assertive stance towards powerful US tech titans.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused Facebook and two of its subsidiaries Facebook Israel and Onavo Inc of misleading people who downloaded its virtual private network (VPN) app Onavo Protect, by collecting and using their very detailed and valuable personal activity data .