Security News > 2021 > October > Facebook sues scraper who sold 178 million phone numbers and user IDs

Facebook has sued a Ukrainian national for allegedly harvesting and selling personal data describing 178 million of the Social NetworkTM's users - actions it says violates the service's terms of service.

The suit alleges that Alexander Alexandrovich Solonchenko created millions of virtual Android devices, each with a different phone number, and used them to deliver automated requests to Facebook systems using the Messenger app.

Over 21 months between January 2018 and September 2019, Solonchenko purportedly took advantage of Facebook Messenger's now-defunct Contact Importer feature.

In May 2021, Solonchenko found a buyer for his Facebook trove.

Facebook maintains that since the defendant had at least two Facebook accounts, two Facebook apps, and a Facebook page, he thereby had agreed at some point to the Terms of Service.

These terms prohibit misleading or fraudulent activity, collecting data from Facebook products through automated means, and selling or making platform data available without written consent.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/10/25/facebook_sues_man_for_scraping/