• Source:JND
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YouTube, a popular video streaming platform, recently amped up its efforts to defuse ad blockers on the platform from restricting advertisements on videos for free accounts. And the company (along with Meta) is now set to face criminal complaints for allegedly adopting surveillance tactics against European Union citizens via these blocker scripts, according to The Register.

As per the report, privacy consultant Alexander Hanff challenged the alleged data collection by Meta without "explicit consent" under the country's law. Hanff shared with the media outlet that the process to file a complaint against YouTube for the use of scripts that detect an ad blocker extension in a user's web browser is also in progress.

Also Read: YouTube Ad Blocker Policy: Viewers Opt For Stealthy Extensions For Ad-Free Videos As YT Brings Fresh Curbs

A civil complaint has already been filed by Hanff with the Irish Data Protection Commission concerning YouTube's new ad blocker protocol that detects this software on a user's internet browser. He also targeted Meta for allegedly processing user data for behavioural advertising from the past five years via tracking scripts without proper legal backing. Hence, he claims this is "unlawful".

As per the complainant, he took the criminal filing route as EU regulators are 'absolutely terrible at enforcing the ePrivacy Directive.' (Image:Unsplash)

Plus, as per Hanff, Meta "illegally intercepted a transmission of data within an information system (computing devices) to monitor [his] behaviour." In the case of YouTube, he claims the problem is the same, but the attempt is to detect ads.

Also Read: YouTube May Get A Button To Discover Shorts And Videos Based On Watch History; How It's Different From Feed Suggestions?

"I consider YouTube's script to be spyware – aka surveillance technology, as it is deployed without my knowledge or authorisation to my device for the sole purpose of intercepting and monitoring my behaviour (whether or not ads load in my browser or are blocked by an ad blocker)," the privacy consultant said, according to The Register.

As per the complainant, he took the criminal filing route as EU regulators are "absolutely terrible at enforcing the ePrivacy Directive". According to Hanff, the aim is to send out a "clear message" that tech companies need to cut off surveillance tactics on smart devices.