Former Meta staffer in London accused of stealing 30k user photos

A former Meta employee based in London is under criminal investigation for allegedly downloading around 30,000 private Facebook images belonging to users. The Metropolitan Police’s cybercrime unit is handling the case. According to court papers, the accused didn’t just browse; he built a custom script designed to circumvent Meta’s internal detection systems. Meta says it discovered the breach over a year ago, fired the individual, notified affected users, and referred the matter to UK law enforcement.

The suspect is currently on police bail and must report to officers in May. This incident adds to concerns about insider threats and data protection practices at major tech firms.