Australia watchdog sues Facebook over ‘misleading’ VPN app

The ACCC alleges Facebook and its two partners falsely represented the now-defunct VPN service as keeping user data ‘private, protected and secret’ between February 2016 and October 2017. — Reuters

SYDNEY: Australia’s consumer watchdog launched legal action against Facebook on Dec 16, alleging the social media giant “misled” thousands of Australians by collecting user data from a free VPN service advertised as private.

The platform could face a fine if found guilty of deceiving users, as Australia takes an increasingly assertive stance towards powerful US tech titans.