UK Gambling Companies Illegally Share Customer Data with Meta

An investigation by The Observer has revealed that over a third of UK gambling websites are illegally sharing user data with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, through a hidden tracking tool known as Meta Pixel. This practice violates data protection laws requiring explicit user consent before any data sharing for marketing purposes. Iain Duncan Smith, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on gambling reform, criticized the lack of regulatory oversight and called for immediate action to address these breaches. The findings indicated that websites were automatically transferring user data upon loading, effectively bypassing consent protocols. Data privacy experts have raised alarms regarding the potential harm to vulnerable individuals, as these ads often target those at risk of gambling addiction. The revelations have prompted calls for stricter regulations and accountability within the gambling industry and among tech companies like Meta.