Lawsuit Files Claim against Apple, Alleging Intentional and Illegal Sharing of iTunes Listening Information
In a recent turn of events, three individuals from Rhode Island and Michigan have filed a class-action lawsuit against tech giant Apple, accusing the company of "intentionally and unlawfully" sharing their iTunes listening data with third parties. The lawsuit, filed in a California district court, alleges that Apple's disclosures of this sensitive information are a breach of state privacy laws and can lead to targeted predatory behavior.
According to the lawsuit, Apple shares this data with third parties who can supplement it with additional sensitive personal information, allowing for further exploitation and monetization without obtaining the necessary consent. Marketers are reportedly selling lists of user data, such as unmarried, college-educated women over 70 with high incomes who purchased country music from Apple.
The lawsuit also points out that Apple used to share detailed user listening data via its developers tools, a concern raised by Ben Dodson in 2016. Despite contacting Dodson, Apple did not resolve this issue until the release of iOS 10. The plaintiffs are seeking $250 for each affected customer in Rhode Island and $5,000 for those in Michigan.
Apple has yet to comment on the matter. While this lawsuit specifically focuses on iTunes data sharing, it raises questions about Apple's broader data privacy practices, a topic that has gained significant attention in recent years.
Interestingly, there's another ongoing class-action lawsuit against Apple regarding its Siri feature. The lawsuit alleges that Siri would activate and record private conversations without user consent, leading to the disclosure of these recordings to third-party contractors for quality improvement purposes. The lawsuit has been settled for $95 million, with each eligible user potentially receiving up to $20 per device.
This second lawsuit highlights the importance of data privacy and Apple's responsibility to protect user information. As technology continues to advance, so too does the need for careful consideration of how companies collect, store, and use user data, ensuring that privacy rights are respected and protected.
The tech giant Apple is accused of sharing iTunes listening data with third parties, a practice that the lawsuit claims is a violation of state privacy laws. This alleged disclosure of sensitive information could potentially be supplemented by third parties, allowing for targeted predatory behavior.
The lawsuit also mentions Apple's past practice of sharing detailed user listening data via its developers tools, an issue first raised by Ben Dodson in 2016. Apple only addressed this concern after releasing iOS 10.
The plaintiffs in this lawsuit are seeking financial compensation, with Rhode Island residents eligible for $250 each, and Michigan residents eligible for $5,000 each.
applying the trend of data privacy concerns, this lawsuit raises questions about Apple's broader data collection practices, which have gained significant attention in recent years.