Meta must face a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the company of secretly tracking Android users through hidden communication channels inside smartphones, a US federal judge has ruled.
The lawsuit alleges Meta bypassed Android privacy protections by using a covert method to connect browsing activity from mobile browsers directly to Facebook and Instagram apps installed on users’ phones. Plaintiffs claim the company exploited localhost communication systems within Android devices to secretly link users’ web activity to their Meta accounts for targeted advertising purposes.
The case stems from research published earlier this year by security experts who uncovered what they described as a sophisticated tracking technique involving Meta Pixel, the company’s widely used advertising and analytics tool embedded on millions of websites worldwide. Researchers found that Meta apps on Android devices could allegedly receive identifiers transmitted from websites visited in mobile browsers, even when users believed their activity was private.
According to the complaint, the alleged system allowed Meta to associate browsing sessions with specific user accounts without clear consent. Plaintiffs argue the technique could bypass common privacy protections, including incognito mode, cookie restrictions, and certain anti-tracking browser features.
US District Judge Rita Lin ruled that the plaintiffs presented sufficient evidence for most privacy claims to move forward. In her decision, the judge stated that the alleged conduct appeared intentionally hidden and outside what ordinary users would reasonably expect.
“From those allegations of secretive and evasive behavior that were surprising even to technical experts, it is reasonable to infer that plaintiffs did not give Meta permission,” Lin wrote in the ruling.
The court also rejected Meta’s argument that users implicitly consented to the tracking simply by using Android devices or visiting websites containing Meta Pixel technology. The judge noted that exploiting obscure technical behavior unknown to users differs significantly from standard disclosed tracking practices.
The lawsuit adds to mounting scrutiny over Meta’s data collection systems and broader concerns surrounding surveillance advertising. Meta’s advertising business relies heavily on tracking user behavior across websites and apps to build detailed profiles for ad targeting. Privacy advocates argue that companies increasingly seek new methods to preserve tracking capabilities as browsers and operating systems introduce stronger anti-tracking protections.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages and court orders blocking Meta from continuing the alleged practices. The exact number of potentially affected Android users remains unclear, though researchers believe the tracking method may have impacted millions of devices before it was disclosed publicly.
Meta has denied wrongdoing and maintains its systems comply with existing privacy and consent frameworks.