“Apple Inc’s Korean unit has paid compensation to a user of its popular iPhone after collecting location data without consent, lawyers and court officials said, the first payout by the U.S. company over these complaints,” Ju-min Park and Hyunjoo Jin report for Reuters.
“In May, Apple Korea was ordered by the court to pay 1 million won [US$945] in compensation to Kim Hyung-suk, a lawyer, two officials at Changwon District Court told Reuters on Thursday,” Park and Jin report. “They declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.”
Park and Jin report, “Kim’s law firm, Mirae Law, said Apple made payment last month. Steve Park, a spokesman for Apple Korea declined to comment. Mirae Law said it was now preparing a class action lawsuit against Apple for the unauthorised data collection. A website for class action sign-up has been set up, but was paralyzed due to heavy traffic.”
“Apple released a software update in May to fix a problem that enabled its mobile devices to collect and store customers’ location data,” Park and Jin report. “The revelation that Apple’s iPhone collected data and stored it for up to a year has prompted renewed scrutiny of the nexus between location and privacy.”
Park and Jin report, “Google Inc’s Seoul office was raided in May on suspicion its mobile advertising unit AdMob had illegally collected location data without consent, in the latest setback to the Internet search firm’s Korean operations. Executives of both Apple and Google have said they did not abuse the information. Any class action may further pressure Apple in the home market of its key rival Samsung Electronics.”
Read more in the full article here.
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I say give him an Android “smartphone” with a free year of data harvesting … er … um … service. Fitting.
Who wants to take odds that this lawyer was hired by Samsung to harass Apple? I’ve been to Korea. Asian businesses are an ethical cesspool.
… “collecting location data without consent” ? Did Apple forget to include the fine print in the Korean EUA?
Ah, just like American businesses!
What made that korean(‘s problem) worth that much money? I seriously doubt apple was stealing secretive information that could of compromised the earth as a whole, this was just some korean.
I might be ignorant in this logic, but if apple wanted to collect some or any or all data that can be collected from the devices I have, thats fine with me.
The people who need total privacy are those who are doing something they shouldn’t and don’t want to get caught.
Well I say fkuc Korea and the people there. If that looser can sue for $1m for something that didnt have a direct impact on a person, why is it in North America the claims you can make for violations of human rights is limited to much lower amounts then that?
Apple doesn’t deserve the bullshit thats ringing in from Korea. Stay away from low-class countries I say.
Well, that would include my brother-in-law, his Korean wife and my nephew. So, to you, Nikonfox, and in the words of Larry David, I say, “FuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhQQQQQQ.”
And learn how to spell, loser.
“Apple Korea was ordered by the court to pay 1 million won [US$945] in compensation”
I think you meant $1000 (1m won), but I agree that still seems excessive.
I don’t think he meant that. He didn’t read carefully enough in the first place. His ire was based on a very different amount.
Nikonfox, you need to reduce your anger by a factor of 1,000. Read the article carefully.
1 Million (won)… Reminds me of when I was a kid and found a 20,000 peso bill in Mexico on vacation. I felt like I won lotto until I learned it was worth a little less than $10.
When was this?? 20,000 pesos today is about $1700.
My guess would be before 93, that’s when the peso was revalued due to hyperinflation. They issued the “Nuevo Peso” which was worth 1000 of the old peso. After a few years of exchanging the currency, the “Nuevo” was dropped from the name.
Send those bastard south korean to north korean, they will know what is privacy. South korean = thief and liar.
Racist much?
I expected the payola media to push this story, but not mdn. Unnamed sources?
If true, this is insanity on the part of apple. Their management in Korea just stabbed them in the back and their lawyers threw them under the bus. This is potentially billions of payouts.
Again, this story is nothing more than to provide cover for the WS shysters to manipulate stock price this next few days. MDN is helping them.
So, is it correct to say, “Won won in one wanton suit”?
heading should Chang to include the US dollar amount and Korean won symbol ₩. Poor reporting MDN. You made it seem like some one a million dollar judgement.
“Chang” — that is priceless.
One million won – what’s that, like a $1.98?
Do you think that Korean lawyer may now be able to afford the occasional sizzling steak instead of the normal Korean Dog and Kimchee by using the proceeds from the $945 judgment against Apple.
Thanks MDN. you have helped pin the stock price and probably push it lower to allow WS to clean-up on options.
Keep up the good work of printing for free what the payola do for a fee.
A moderator needs to get in here and clean up the bigotry that’s going on in this thread. I’m fuming right now and I’m sure there are other readers that are as well. MDN you should moderate your comments section a lot better. It’s like a cesspool in here somedays and I really hope these jackasses aren’t fellow mac users and are just typical internet trolls.
@liquidr
Although I agree with yo, I would suggest you grow a thinker skin. The reason? Bigots abound and the numbers can be staggering.
Classic example…Canada and the US are like brothers, and have been since I was a kid. However, when Canada (under Jean Chretien) refused Bush’s invitation to join him to invade Iraq because GW had NO evidence, surprising America went Ape-shit and slammed Canada right and left. Thankfully it lasted only a short time but in that interval, the amount of hurtful comments from all directions was an eye-opener. Silly too…like calling french fries, freedom fries or boycotting Maple syrup. The flag burning was a little much though.
All this to say that it is a problem that you cannot get rid of..even with educated people (just start an Obama post here).
Best to rip into the offending commenter but then leave it go.
@OpenMind
So everyone from Korea is a thief and lawyer, just like everyone from the United States is lazy and stupid? Are we racist much?