Facebook Might Lose Battle to Guard Users' Privacy

• However, Facebook has been trying to squash the search warrants that were issued against its users who were alleged of fraudulently obtaining disability privileges.

• On July 2013, the company said the warrants covered a cross-section of America. The age ranged spanned between high school goers and senior citizens. Occupations included were school teachers, military personnel, and electricians to name a few.

• Despite Facebook's tough arguments, the court objected that law enforcement has the authority to search and seize huge amounts of material to hunt evidence. This prompted the firm to hand over the demanded information in November 2013.

• Out of the 400 user accounts seized, only 62 arrests were made. More charges are likely to come, given the fact that around 1000 people may have been involved in the fraud.

• According to Facebook, the warrants failed to include data restrictions to limit the amount of data sought. Also, it neither provided procedures to minimize data collection nor retain information unrelated to the investigation.

• These search warrants were considered a massive over breadth and constitutionally defective under both state and federal law according to Facebook. The company wanted the warrants to be squashed.

• The court's decision is considered equivalent to raiding one's home. In this case, it is like raiding an entire neighborhood and not a single home.

• The prosecutors argued that the defendants in the case repeatedly lied about their physical, psychological, and social capabilities. However, their Facebook accounts and posting told an entirely different story.

• Since Facebook allowed its users to control their own privacy settings, it was up to the defendants to argue about their case and not the company's, said the court.

• Further to guard the secrecy of the investigation, the court barred Facebook from letting its targeted users know that law enforcement was draining its servers.

• If Facebook or any other service provider doesn't have legal standing to challenge such warrants , and if users are oblivious to this, the chance to object privacy invasion is lost.

• Facebook is not ready to let the issue rest for now. It has gone in for another appeal.

• This case is quite similar to the 'tracking mobile phone' case faced by Apple and Google last month. However, the Internet giants have successfully kept out law enforcement from accessing the personal information of their users unlike Facebook.

Related Articlehttps://blog.whichssl.com/2014/02/privacy-and-how-it-helps-you-secure-yourself/