When you log onto a social media website like Facebook you probably have an understanding your viewing habits may be monitored.
"But when they close out their Facebook page they don't expect that Facebook is going to follow them and gather their information, and we don't know what they're doing with it," says attorney Margery Bronster.
To find that out Bronster's law firm has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Cynthia Quinn.
As for how Facebook accomplishes it -
"But apparently what Facebook was doing by installing cookies into everybody's computer they were following you actions, even if you weren't on Facebook," Bronster says.
In the lawsuit Facebook.com is cited as acknowledging the use of cookies saying "We do not use these cookies to create a profile of your browsing behavior on third-party sites."
Think of a cookie as an identification card that's uniquely yours. Its job is to notify a site when you've returned. Websites can use that to tell how often you visit pages.
And Bronster believes that is a violation of federal and state privacy laws.
Even casual users on the internet are gaining an understanding of what this all means.
"I mean everybody that is on the internet, and whether it's Facebook, but then I've heard that Google keeps track, has a lot more information on people. They keep track of everything you do and you have to remember that when you go on these sites," says social media user Chuck Smith.
The Hawaii class action lawsuit is one of at least two suits filed against Facebook.
