Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was recently hit with another lawsuit, this time from a consumer who claims Location Services collects data without user permission. Chen Ma is filing the class lawsuit on behalf of nearly 100 million affected users.
Complaint regarding Apple feature
Ma claims she wants Apple to give iPhone owners compensation over damages. This complaint is primarily focused on the Location Services software which is standard on all Apple smartphones. She added her everyday whereabouts were tracked then stored in an Apple database for later reference. China’s government sponsored television broadcaster CCTV did a report on Ma’s case. This led her to believe the iPhone maker was taking data without her knowledge.
Apple admitted data was collected but denied it was shared with third parties. Her legal team then questioned the claim. Ma also had concerns that users has no way of shutting off the privacy-invading feature without interfering with the device’s other features
Previous concerns regarding Apple’s tracking feature
Apple’s location tracking feature was first unveiled with iOS 4. The Cupertino-based tech giant even wrote a letter to Congress describing the feature and claiming that it was not as invasive as it sounded. The company added that data was stored anonymously so it couldn’t trace back to the user. That was not enough for government authorities, the tech giant had to explain itself again a year later when the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote a letter to Apple for more details on the technology.
Back in 2013, a judge threw out a data privacy tracking lawsuit quite similar to the current lawsuit. This ruling came after plaintiffs failed to come up with evidence they read Apple’s policy on privacy before they purchased the iPhone. Whether Chen Ma’s case is taken further into account or thrown out like the aforementioned case remains to be seen.
