File photo: Silhouettes of laptop and mobile device users are seen next to a screen projection of Google logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018.
REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Posted on 08/21/2018 11:52:56 AM PDT by ETL
Google has been hit with a federal lawsuit for invasion of privacy – one week after the tech giant was caught tracking iPhone and Android users’ location in spite of enabled privacy settings.
San Diego resident Napolean Patacsil accuses Google in the suit of storing location data “against the express wishes and expectations of its users” in violation of California laws.
Last week, an Associated Press investigation found that the location data from phones was being stored even when the “location history” function was switched off – a breach that affects more than 2 billion Android users and hundreds of millions of iPhone customers who use Google Maps.
“Google expressly represented to users of its operating system and apps that the activation of certain settings will prevent the tracking of users’ geolocations,” says Patacsil’s suit, which was filed Friday in California federal court. “This representation was false.”
“Despite users’ attempts to protect their location privacy, Google collects and stores users’ location data, thereby invading users’ reasonable expectations of privacy, counter to Google’s own representations about how users can configure Google’s products to prevent such egregious privacy violations,” the complaint says.
Patacsil currently has an iPhone with various Google apps and owned an Android prior to 2016, the suit said. On both devices, he had turned the “location history” off. ..."
The suit calls on Google to stop its location data-storing practices and destroy all data obtained “from unlawful recording and use of the location information.”
Google didn’t immediately return a message.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
They used to say, “Microsoft was the most evil corporation on earth. Hmmm.
bookmark
They used to say, “Microsoft was the most evil corporation on earth. Hmmm.
~~~
Well as far as I know, Microsoft started the telemetry/data collection racket. It’s just so old hat to think of them as evil anymore. But what’s better to spy on your than your OS? Probably why google got into the OS business... they didn’t have to try to drill down into the system for permissions when they ARE the system. Hell, you probably don’t know that your graphics card is spying on you (well, the software for it anyway). Everyone wants to send back telemetry on you. Facebook wants your banking habits. Do you really think they’re the first to think of it?
For the most part, they just want to monetize it.
“Hello Mr. Anderton! Have you had a Guinness today”
I’m guessing the federal “intelligence” agencies aren’t liking this. You know well that they could access to this info anytime they want to.
Which is why the feds didn’t use their regulatory power to stop this a long time ago. It helps them spy on you.
Federal intelligence agencies track us for everything. If your brother in law owned a handgun twenty years ago and your father registered to vote Republican in a primary and you bought a book by Mark Levin with a Master Card-—they know it.
but-————
When a Cruz or Adam Lanza or Las Vegas type mass shooter prepares to act then the agencies claim they knew nothing and had no one tell them everything. The school couldn’t shame someone by informing authorities,the city police weren’t allowed to share information about complaints due to mental illness disturbance calls and no one could tell but everyone in the school knew that something was just about to happen. Some “intelligence.”
They do know your Mark Levin book cost $21.55 before tax, though.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.