A class-action lawsuit in California accuses Facebook of illegally keeping a searchable database of users’ private messages. Specifically, they allege that Facebook scans and saves any URLs shared through private messages—a practice aimed at catching malware and child pornography, but also used to develop targeted advertising, the lawsuit claims. The plaintiffs allege that records of user messages “may be put to any use, for any reason, by any Facebook employee, at any time.” Facebook argues that its database is anonymized and does not threaten the privacy of users.
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