Detroit, Mich. – Following a similar lawsuit filed against
Apple (NASD: AAPL) last week over location information logging by its iPhone, Google (NASD: GOOG) has
been hit with a class action lawsuit over location information logged by Android-powered
mobile devices, Ars Technica reports.
Security expert Samy Kamkar revealed that
Android devices collected location information "every few seconds and
transmitted the data to Google at least several times an hour," attaching
a unique ID to the unencrypted data that could hypothetically be linked to a
particular consumer via data analysis.
"The accessibility of the
unencrypted information collected by Google places users at serious risk of
privacy invasions, including stalking," reads the class action complaint
filed by Detroit area residents Julie Brown and Kayla Molaski.
"If Google
wanted to track the whereabouts of each of its products’ users, it should have
obtained specific, particularized informed consent such that Google consumers
across America would not have been shocked and alarmed to learn of Google’s
practices in recent days."
The lawsuit seeks either an injunction against
Google’s Android device tracking, or a ruling compelling Google to inform users
of the tracking and what it does with collected data, including whether it is
provided to third parties for marketing purposes.
The suit also seeks monetary
damages totaling more than $50 million.
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/6ekxrsb
(Ars Technica)
