Instagram Accused of Spying on Users Via Phone Cameras

Facebook is being sued over allegations Instagram is spying on users via their phone cameras.

The lawsuit was filed against Facebook on behalf of Brittany Conditi, a New Jersey Instagram users. The lawsuit alleges that Instagram is accessing the camera even when the app is not being used.

According to the complaint, Facebook and Instagram are “obtaining extremely private and intimate personal data on their users, including in the privacy of their own homes,” giving them “valuable insights and market research.”

Facebook has, of course, denied the reports. According to Bloomberg, the company says the issue was caused by a bug that improperly triggered a false notification that the camera was in use.

Unfortunately for the company, last November its Facebook app was caught opening the camera in the background without permission. Then, as now, Facebook claimed it was an innocent bug that was responsible.

Facebook either has the worst fortune with bugs that just happen to open the camera without permission, or there may be something to long-standing rumors the company spies on users without permission.