Amazon sued for tracking users through their smartphones
What's the story
Amazon is being sued by consumers who claim that the company has been secretly tracking their movements through their smartphones. The class action lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco federal court, claims that Amazon gained "backdoor access" to the phones of users. This was allegedly done by giving app developers a specific code called Amazon Ads SDK, which was then integrated into their apps.
Data collection
Amazon accused of collecting extensive geolocation data
The lawsuit also claims that Amazon used this technique to collect a massive trove of timestamped geolocation data. It offered a glimpse into where consumers live, work, shop, and visit. This disclosed users' sensitive details like religion, sexual orientation, health issues, and more. "Amazon has effectively fingerprinted consumers and has correlated a vast amount of personal information about them entirely without consumers' knowledge and consent," the complaint reads.
Case details
Plaintiff alleges personal information collection via app
The lawsuit has been filed by one Felix Kolotinsky of San Mateo, California. He alleges that Amazon collected his personal information using the "Speedtest by Ookla" app on his phone. Kolotinsky contends that this move by Amazon violates California's penal law and a state law prohibiting unauthorized computer access. He is seeking unspecified damages for millions of Californians impacted by this alleged privacy breach.
Pending response
Amazon yet to respond to lawsuit allegations
So far, Amazon has not released any statement denying the allegations leveled in the lawsuit. The legal representatives for Kolotinsky have also not given any further comments on the issue, according to Reuters. This case comes as part of a growing list of complaints from individuals and regulators about companies making money from information collected without consent from smartphones.