Google, Facebook team up to beat Apple's consumer privacy agenda

 

Google has teamed up with Facebook to work around Apple's privacy tools in Safari to continue tracking end-users, an update to an antitrust lawsuit claims, with the search engine also doing what it could to slow down other regulatory initiatives surrounding privacy.

A lawsuit was filed against Google in December 2020 by a group of attorneys general, accusing the search engine of "engaging in market collusion to rig auctions," reports AppleInsider.

While the lawsuit largely focuses on a deal between Google and Facebook to cooperate in the online advertising business instead of competing, an update accuses the two tech giants of trying to work against initiatives by Apple to help protect the privacy of its users.

The amended complaint filed on October 22 and first reported by The Register, expands on the original claim in some directions, revealing more ways that Google may have tried to subvert user privacy.

As part of the complaint, it is alleged Google and Facebook "have been working together to improve Facebook's ability to recognise users using browsers with blocked cookies on Apple devices, and on Apple's Safari browser, thereby circumventing one Big Tech company's efforts to compete by offering users better privacy.

This was apparently prompted by the two companies working closely and in integrating their SDKs "so Google can pass Facebook data for user ID cookie matching," the complaint reads.

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