The owner of the so-called clone site MyStalk has been sued by Meta. The parent company of Instagram and Facebook claims that the man collected unsolicited data from 350,000 people through automated Instagram accounts, including photos and videos.
A supplier of software with which such data can be collected – Octopus – has also been taken to court by Meta.
In a blog post, Meta reports that it has already taken action against MyStalk last year. The company allegedly required the owner to cease its activities. Meta also blocked the man’s access to both Instagram and Facebook several times.
Meta argues that cloning sites like MyStalk undermine the credibility of its platform. Since the first half of 2021, Meta has reportedly tracked down more than a hundred clone sites.
In addition to being the owner of MyStalk, Meta is also suing the company Octopus. This provides software with which data can be collected from Instagram and Facebook, among others. This specifically concerns data that users state on their profile, such as dates of birth and telephone numbers. Meta states that Octopus not only violates Meta’s house rules but also digital copyrights.
