Photo: IMEN BEN YOUSSEF / AFP / Getty Images
A former Meta employee is under criminal investigation for allegedly downloading approximately 30,000 private images from Facebook users. The engineer, based in London, reportedly designed a program to bypass Meta's internal security systems to access these photos.
The breach was discovered over a year ago, prompting Meta to terminate the employee and refer the case to law enforcement. The Metropolitan Police's Cybercrime Unit, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is conducting the investigation. The engineer was arrested in November 2025 and released on bail, with a requirement to report to the police in May.
Meta has notified affected users and upgraded its security systems. A spokesperson for Meta emphasized that "protecting user data is our top priority" and confirmed cooperation with the ongoing investigation.
The incident adds to a series of security challenges faced by Meta. In 2022, the Irish Data Protection Commission fined Meta just over $300 million for a data breach, and in 2024, the company was fined $105 million for storing user passwords without encryption.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is aware of the current investigation and is working with Meta to ensure data protection standards are upheld.