Today, Amazon.com was hit with a lawsuit filed by consumers who claim the company has been secretly tracking their locations via their mobile phones and profiting from the data it gathers.
The proposed class action, filed in a federal court in San Francisco, alleges that Amazon gained “backdoor access” to consumers’ devices by distributing code known as the Amazon Ads SDK to tens of thousands of app developers, who embedded it in their apps.
This, the lawsuit suggests, allowed Amazon to harvest vast amounts of geolocation data, including timestamped details about consumers’ activities, such as where they live, work, shop, and travel, uncovering personal information like religious views, sexual preferences, and health conditions.
“Amazon has effectively fingerprinted consumers and has correlated a vast amount of personal information about them entirely without consumers’ knowledge and consent,” the complaint stated.
The legal action was brought by Felix Kolotinsky, a resident of San Mateo, California, who claims that Amazon accessed his personal data through the “Speedtest by Ookla” app on his phone.
He contends that Amazon’s actions violate California’s penal code and state laws against unauthorized access to computers, seeking unspecified damages on behalf of millions of California residents.
Amazon, which is headquartered in Seattle, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the plaintiff’s attorneys also did not provide further statements when contacted.
There is growing concern from both individuals and regulators about how companies are monetizing data collected from mobile phones without proper consent.
On January 13, the state of Texas filed a lawsuit against Allstate, accusing the insurance company of using cellphone data to track drivers, adjust premiums, deny coverage, and sell the information to other insurers.
Allstate has defended its practices, asserting that its data collection adheres to all relevant laws and regulations. Additionally, at least eight other private lawsuits have been filed against Allstate in relation to similar claims.
{Matzav.com}