Facebook tracking cookies: class action begins

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The discovery of the existence of Facebook tracking cookies has sparked much controversy regarding the privacy, a delicate topic that has repeatedly called the social network’s founder to order.
If the new Facebook Timeline has already caused concern among those who fear an unexpected exposure of their data to other users, news has emerged that – no doubt – will give Zuckerberg: in the United States a verification process has been launched – conducted by the Federal Trade Commission – regarding the operation of these permanent cookies that remain active on the PC, even after logging out from Facebook pages.
This “technical trick” that undermines the concept of online privacy was uncovered by Nik Cubrilovic, a researcher who wrote about it on his blog bringing to light something that most would not have noticed.
Also in the United States, fresh news reports the launch of a class action initiated by Perrin Aikens Davis, an Illinois citizen who filed his complaint against Facebook in the San Diego court, accusing the social network of computer fraud and violation of federal wiretapping laws.
Even in Europe this “cheerful” handling of tracking cookies has not been appreciated at all, so the Irish non-profit organization “Europe versus Facebook” has decided to officially appeal to the European Commission, which oversees and regulates the matter.
Facebook has not been idle: it should be noted that – after Cubrilovic’s report – it was announced that the cookie containing the user ID has been completely removed. What does this mean in practical terms? It means that – once logged out – the content of browsing sessions can no longer be linked to the specific person.
Investigations and proceedings are still ongoing, and more details and purposes concerning Facebook’s tracking via cookies will likely become clear in the coming months.