Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has lost a legal battle against Israeli tech firm Bright Data. The lawsuit, which was filed last year, accused Bright Data of scraping data from Facebook and Instagram in violation of Meta’s terms of service. However, a court has ruled in favor of Bright Data, stating that Meta failed to provide sufficient evidence that the firm had scraped anything but public data.
Key Takeaway
The court has ruled in favor of Bright Data in its legal battle against Meta, stating that Meta failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its claims of data scraping.
The Lawsuit and Ruling
The court denied Meta’s motion for a partial summary judgment on the breach of contract claim, citing a lack of evidence that Bright Data had scraped non-public data. Meta had alleged that Bright Data collected and sold vast amounts of user data, including personal information about minors, but the court found Meta’s evidence insufficient.
Meta’s Allegations
Meta claimed that Bright Data had used tools to circumvent its access restrictions, including CAPTCHAs, to collect data behind authentication barriers. However, the court disagreed, stating that using automated programs to bypass CAPTCHAs is different from accessing a password-protected website.
Previous Legal Actions
Meta has a history of suing companies engaged in data scraping operations. It settled cases with other firms in the past, imposing permanent injunctions and financial penalties. The company’s efforts aim to discourage data scraping and protect user privacy.
