Lieff Cabraser is investigating reports that Meta (and the Russian tech co. Yandex) is abusing critical Internet protocols by using tracking technology embedded in websites to force Facebook and Instragram apps on Android devices to identify users to illegally track and monetize them.

A report published by Ars Technica in early June of 2025 details the allegations, which Google is said to be investigating from its own side as the creator and maintainer of the Android smartphone operating system. According to the article,

“The covert tracking—implemented in the Meta Pixel and Yandex Metrica trackers—allows Meta and Yandex to bypass core security and privacy protections provided by both the Android operating system and browsers that run on it.”

The article goes on to note that the anonymity bypass — which Yandex began in 2017 and Meta is believed to have started last September — allows the companies to pass cookies or other identifiers from Firefox and Chromium-based browsers to native Android apps for Facebook, Instagram, and various Yandex apps. The companies can then tie that vast browsing history to the account holder logged into the app.

If you or a family member have Facebook or Instragram accounts and use an Android phone, we urge you to talk with a privacy lawyer at Lieff Cabraser today about your rights and potential recovery. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your info, and the data you provide will help us hold Meta accountable for its violations.

Lieff Cabraser’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy practice group is committed to ensuring that the fundamental right to privacy is respected and maintained as technology evolves to grow ever more powerful, pervasive, and intrusive.

Our Cybersecurity attorneys have the experience and technical expertise necessary to successfully litigate a comprehensive range of privacy claims. We represent individuals in precedent-setting cases against powerful technology, social media, healthcare, and entertainment companies, as we continue to reaffirm and enforce all the privacy protections the law provides to keep secure the most sensitive personal information of citizens in the U.S. and around the world.