The FTC and DOJ Act Against Amazon to Protect Privacy
E17: Carpenter Decision Builds Up Privacy from #SCOTUS
The FTC announced an action last week against location data broker X-Mode Social and its corporate successor Outlogic (collectively, “X-Mode”) based on several alleged violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act. According to FTC...more
“Precise Geolocation” has become a hot button issue in the privacy world with recent data privacy laws seeking to regulate the collection and processing of such information, including in California and Virginia. The...more
If you don’t know what geofencing is, I will give you some articles to read so you can become better educated on exactly what it is and how it is used to track you. It’s all a bit creepy, but is a good thing to understand....more
INRIX, a company that provides location-based data analytics, has been collecting, analyzing, and selling aggregated vehicle, traffic, and parking data for over 17 years. Now, after the Roe v. Wade decision, INRIX is under...more
Where are you? Your exact location is a tidbit of information that can infringe on your privacy. Knowing your location all the time can help someone map your life....more
This is not the first post discussing location-based services on mobile phones. And it won’t be the last. After reading my colleague’s post on the priest who resigned from his high-profile position after his location was tied...more
Google recently announced that beginning next year it will require Android mobile apps to provide privacy disclosures. These disclosures will live in a new “safety section” in Google Play...more
This past week, the operator of the popular Weather Channel (“TWC”) mobile phone app entered into a Stipulation of Settlement with the Los Angeles City Attorney, Mike Feuer (“City Attorney”), closing the books on one of the...more
The Los Angeles City Attorney has filed a complaint against the company behind The Weather Channel App (the “TWC App”) claiming its collection of geolocation information violates the state's Unfair Competition Law. The...more
Last week’s Privacy Tip centered on how our cell phone geolocation data is being sold by the telephone companies Cell Phone Geolocation Data Being Sold. ...more
A lawsuit filed late last week by Los Angeles City Attorney Michael Feuer alleges that TWC Product and Technology LLC (TWC), the company behind The Weather Company App, is collecting, disclosing, selling and monetizing users’...more
This post discusses some of the contractual requirements imposed by Apple and Google regarding the collection and sharing of locational information. What consents, if any, do Apple and Google require that app publishers...more
Smartphones, websites, and other connected devices (e.g., “wearables”) increasingly request that consumers provide their geo-location information. Geolocation information can refer to general information about a consumer’s...more
I have been watching several articles published by ZDNet with interest. First, ZDNet reported that “four of the largest cell giants in the US are selling your real-time location data to a company that you’ve probably never...more
If you're like millions of Americans, you use the AccuWeather app for iOS to keep up to date about whether the weekend's forecast means fun in the sun or hiding out from the rain. It turns out that AccuWeather may have been...more
Smartphones, smartphone apps, websites, and other connected devices (e.g., “wearables”) increasingly request that consumers provide their geo-location information. Geo-location information can refer to general information...more
Recently in United States v. InMobi Pte Ltd., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) set a new standard for geolocational tracking. The FTC told app developers and app marketers one simple rule: honor consumers location privacy...more
Pokémon Go is a location-based augmented reality game in which players use their mobile device to catch Pokémon in the players’ real-world surroundings by utilizing the camera, GPS, and gyroscope features of the mobile...more
This game has been all the rage since July. Engadget reports over 100 million downloads of Pokemon Go, racking up $10 million each day in revenue for game makers Niantic, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo. It’s a beast. ...more
The International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers (IAITAM) has issued a warning to businesses alerting them to the risks posed by employees downloading the Pokemon GO app on a company issued phone....more
Niantic Inc. (Niantic), developer of the mobile game “Pokémon GO,” was sued in Florida court on July 27, 2016. The named plaintiff, David Beckman filed the complaint against Niantic claiming the game’s terms of service and...more
Hugely successful games attract lawsuits. Pokémon Go has been hugely successful and, predictably, has attracted a lawsuit. In a recently filed class action, a plaintiff has alleged that a number of the GPS coordinates...more
We have blogged previously about the steady rise of e-commerce, the benefits and challenges of creating a cohesive omnichannel experience, and some of the special issues omnichannel creates for the landlord-tenant...more
In the category of being careful with location based services when using apps, researchers at the University of California-Santa Barbara have discovered a vulnerability in the popular Waze app that permitted them to create...more
I have commented before on the use of location based services on mobile telephones and that apps (and your telecommunications provider) use and sell your location data for all sorts of purposes without your knowledge. The...more