Meta Takes Legal Action Against Data-Scraping Firm for LAPD Data Sale

According to reports from The Verge and other media outlets, the LAPD used this data to create profiles of individuals who might become involved in future criminal activities. Critics have raised concerns about the methods and algorithms used in this strategy, labeling them as overly simplistic, unethical, and potentially biased.

The public became aware of Voyager Labs’ tactics back in November 2021, thanks to a report from The Guardian. However, it was only recently that Meta took decisive action against the company. According to a legal complaint filed on Thursday, Meta not only banned Voyager Labs but also removed more than 38,000 fake user profiles from its social media platforms.

Voyager Labs allegedly employed a proprietary software system to conduct multiple campaigns using fake accounts spread across a wide network of computers in various countries to conceal its activities.

Meta claims that through these actions, Voyager Labs gathered a wealth of information, including “profile information, posts, friends lists, photos, and comments,” from over 600,000 users. Subsequently, these datasets were sold to third-party buyers, including the LAPD, for their own purposes.