Facebook is found accessing information being reported to the Metropolitan Police database and is doing it without the authorization from the law enforcement agencies. This includes info related to se$ual offenses and domestic abuse case sheets and crimes lodged onto the database.
Digging deep into the issue, a report compiled by ‘The Observer’ states that the information related to offenses is being siphoned by the social media giant through its Meta Pixel tracking tool loaded onto the website of the Met Police.
As soon as a user or a victim lodges the complaint via online forum, the data gets leaked to the Facebook database through the profile code.
Concerningly, the embedded tool is also keeping a tab of data that is being viewed and clicked on the webpages linked to the service and advice pages linked to crimes such as physical assaults, stalking, fraud, and r$pe.
Venessa Moldova, one of the victims who reported to The Observer says that she was fooled by the authorities that she was dealing with a web page related to public agency. But in fact, the webpage was colluding with Facebook that might sell the data to any analytics or marketing firms in no time. It is like playing with the trust factor of the public and then issuing a sorry note that doesn’t ameliorate or satiate the situation.
Met Pol has reacted to the media concerns and assured that it will remove the analytics tool from all its web pages and will seek a 3rd party forensics estimation on risks associated with the Facebook Meta Pixel campaign that tracks down the IP address of the reporting victim and sends it to its servers located offshore.
Now, to those who think that there is no harm in keeping a tab of internet protocol address, here’s a fact. The IP address can reveal the location of the device and its mac address with which network infiltration becomes easy. It also helps build a profile of the online users based on the surfing and content pattern that is being accessed. If we get a support with the right automated software, it takes only a couple of hours to 1 day to track down an online user, even if they are using a VPN.
