YouTube, Facebook parent Meta face criminal complaint in Ireland, here’s why

YouTube recently confirmed that it was expanding the crack down on ad blockers globally. Soon, it was reported that people started to use more sophisticated ad blockers suggesting that Google’s plan may have backfired. The Google-owned company may now have a bigger problem to deal with as it is facing a criminal complaint for spying. Meanwhile, Meta is also facing a similar complaint for data collection without consent.

According to a report by The Register, privacy consultant Alexander Hanff has challenged both YouTube and Meta’s collection of data without explicit consent under Ireland’s computer abuse law.

Hanff says he considers Google’s new system to block ads as ‘spyware’ as YouTube is using it for detecting ad blockers on users’ computers. He said that YouTube deployed its surveillance technology to monitor his behaviour.

“I consider YouTube’s script to be spyware – aka surveillance technology, as it is deployed without my knowledge or authorisation to my device for the sole purpose of intercepting and monitoring my behaviour (whether or not ads load in my browser or are blocked by an ad blocker),” he was quoted as saying.

On Meta, the privacy consultant said that Facebook parent Meta has also “illegally intercepted transmission of data” for “a period of not less than five years from May 25, 2018 to present.” Reportedly, Ireland’s National Police have acknowledged the consultant’s complaint and sought more information on the matter.

EU regulators ‘terrible’ at enforcing law
He said that he is going down the criminal complaint route because “EU regulators have been absolutely terrible at enforcing the ePrivacy Directive – and I mean really bad.” He said that he was unwilling to wait another 15 years for regulators to enforce a law in this regard and that Google and Meta will “drown me with legal fees.”

The consultant said that he hopes that these complaints would send a clear message to tech companies to stop deploying such technologies on people’s devices.

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YouTube recently confirmed that it was expanding the crack down on ad blockers globally. Soon, it was reported that people started to use more sophisticated ad blockers suggesting that Google’s plan may have backfired. The Google-owned company may now have a bigger problem to deal with as it is facing a criminal complaint for spying. Meanwhile, Meta is also facing a similar complaint for data collection without consent.

According to a report by The Register, privacy consultant Alexander Hanff has challenged both YouTube and Meta’s collection of data without explicit consent under Ireland’s computer abuse law.

Hanff says he considers Google’s new system to block ads as ‘spyware’ as YouTube is using it for detecting ad blockers on users’ computers. He said that YouTube deployed its surveillance technology to monitor his behaviour.

“I consider YouTube’s script to be spyware – aka surveillance technology, as it is deployed without my knowledge or authorisation to my device for the sole purpose of intercepting and monitoring my behaviour (whether or not ads load in my browser or are blocked by an ad blocker),” he was quoted as saying.

On Meta, the privacy consultant said that Facebook parent Meta has also “illegally intercepted transmission of data” for “a period of not less than five years from May 25, 2018 to present.” Reportedly, Ireland’s National Police have acknowledged the consultant’s complaint and sought more information on the matter.

EU regulators ‘terrible’ at enforcing law
He said that he is going down the criminal complaint route because “EU regulators have been absolutely terrible at enforcing the ePrivacy Directive – and I mean really bad.” He said that he was unwilling to wait another 15 years for regulators to enforce a law in this regard and that Google and Meta will “drown me with legal fees.”

The consultant said that he hopes that these complaints would send a clear message to tech companies to stop deploying such technologies on people’s devices.

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end of article