Facebook Class Action Lawsuit Claims Android Users’ Profiles Secretly Linked to Browsing Data

Parent company, Meta, allegedly abused internet protocols to link Android users’ browsing data directly to their Facebook and Instagram profiles.

A California man has filed a class action lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, claiming that the company used tracking pixels, which are small pieces of code embedded on other websites, to monitor the web browsing activity of Android phone users without their knowledge.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Devin Rose in the U.S. District for the Northern District of California on June 3, naming Meta Platforms Inc. as the sole defendant.

Android phones are a type of smartphone that uses the Android operating system developed by Google, as opposed to the iPhone operating system designed by Apple.

Pixels are pieces of computer code that can be used on a website to track the actions people take when they visit that site. They work by sending data back to the company that placed the pixel, such as what pages were viewed, how long the user stayed, or what was clicked. While originally intended for basic analytics and advertising purposes, pixels can also be engineered to collect far more detailed data.

A series of recent ad tracking lawsuits allege that Meta, Microsoft and other tech companies use their own tracking pixels on partner websites to collect detailed information about users’ web browsing activity. The lawsuits claim that this data is often de-anonymized, allowing the companies to see exactly what individual users are doing online and use that information however they choose.

In his lawsuit, Rose points to an ArsTechnica report published on June 3, which found that Meta has been exploiting an Android system communication channel to tie users’ web browsing information directly to their specific Facebook or Instagram profile since at least September 2024.

As a result of these findings, Rose indicates that his personal web browsing history has likely also been compromised by Meta, since he is an Android phone user himself.

Rose’s complaint says that the Meta Tracking Pixel, designed by Meta, has been integrated into the computer code for millions of websites. Therefore, when a user visits any one of these sites, Meta has the ability to collect that user’s browsing information through the use of internet cookies.

Internet cookies are small pieces of computer code that allow devices to remember specific information about users or their browsing activity.

Although Meta often uses these cookies to pair user information to specific individual’s profiles for marketing purposes, that data is supposed to remain anonymous.

However, Rose claims in his lawsuit that this information does not remain anonymous for Android users of Facebook and Instagram. He says that Meta has exploited a vulnerability in the Android operating system that allows the company to tie information from Meta tracking Pixels directly to a user’s personal Facebook or Instagram profile, which the company then abuses for specific, targeted advertising purposes.

“This process renders the browsing history of Android users completely identifiable and more comprehensive than intended, as Meta collects a user’s browsing information and ties the browsing information to (personally identifiable information) like full name, e-mail address, and other contact information provided on Facebook and Instagram profiles that is not anonymous,” the complaint states.

Rose raises allegations against Meta of intrusion upon seclusion, various violations of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, unjust enrichment, and violation of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

He is seeking class action certification for his lawsuit with a special subclass for California residents, as well as compensatory, punitive and statutory damages.

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