Google faces a lawsuit that was filed this week over Android’s location tracking.
Electronista reports, “The Michigan complaint from Julie Brown and partner, a possible class action, accused Google of excessively detailed tracking. Android 2.2 on their HTC Inspire 4G phones was tracking with the level of frequency and precision of a ‘tracking device for which a court-ordered warrant would ordinarily be required,’ Brown said.”
“The lawsuit demanded $50 million in damages along with whatever might go out to individual phone owners in the event the case is deemed a class action,” Electronista reports. “It would further require Google to stop tracking positions, a move that could require a significant overhaul of Android.”
Electronista reports, “Google for its part has maintained that its requests are opt-in and thus that any tracking it does is with a phone owner’s consent. Critics, including Skyhook’s CEO, have said alternately that the consent isn’t obvious and that Android is collecting much more detail both compared to iOS and what users were expecting.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Relax. Have a mental margarita.
You do not need to be a rocket scientist to know that Android phones are collecting data they can use for marketing purposes. Google developed Android for one reason and one reason only. I am glad that Apple will be at the congressional hearing on May 10th. What I know won’t happen is that in front of everyone, the Apple representative be allowed to ask the Google representative very pointed questions about their data collection and use. I know the proper questions and challenges to answers will not be done by anyone on the committee as they lack the knowledge. This hearing could be a big win for Apple but I doubt if it will be anything more than a fizzle.
Apple will not be allowed to ask Google anything. Only Congress critters ask question; everyone else can only answer.
Skyhook’s CEO sure is talkative about all of this.
That wouldn’t have anything to do with his company marketing their own location data API and toolkit for various mobile devices, with android being one of the biggest they support. Nah this guy is totally impartial!
If google is tracking massive amounts of data when you “opt out” of their data tracking services then they should change their ways.
Otherwise just turn off the location data (its easily accessible from the Android Settings applet) and get over it.
“You do not need to be a rocket scientist to know that Android phones are collecting data they can use for marketing purposes.”
But apparently you do have to NOT be freetard, who will take all kinds of crap in the name of supposed freedom.
There is nothing stopping anyone from Apple supplying the committee with those pointed questions.
Google apparently collects individual data, which Apple apparently does not, so this kind lawsuit is potentially more of a problem for Google. They must pay lawyers, and maybe a settlement or penalty. This for a product they give away for free.
“settlers” hehe
Android exists for the purpose of tracking the users. That’s why Google was willing to foist a loss leader on anyone stupid enough not to think deeply about the obnoxious agenda of Google. Android is the Achilles heel of Google and it will hurt it badly.