Los Angeles sues the Weather Channel app over alleged misuse of location data

The Weather Company, owned past times IBM, is getting sued past times the urban gist of Los Angeles over alleged misuse of place information that its pop Weather Channel mobile app was collecting from customers, proverb the questionable do violates California’s Unfair Competition Law.

With to a greater extent than than 45 1 G one thousand users, it was the most downloaded app from 2014-2017.

The lawsuit alleges that the mobile Weather Channel app “deceptively collected, shared too profited from the place information of millions of American consumers,” using their information for things similar targeted marketing too hedge fund analysis.

As LA City Attorney Mike Feuer said inwards a tweet, “We allege the downloadable app is covertly mining individual information of its users too selling it to third-party advertisers”. Feuer wrote inwards only about other tweet today that the urban gist of Los Angeles was taking “action against 1 of America’s largest corporations for what nosotros allege is egregious behavior.”

FRIDAY @11am – City Attorney Mike Feuer Press Conference equally nosotros accept activity against 1 of America's largest corporations for what nosotros allege is egregious behavior! #technews #IBM #technology https://t.co/mCRvNeNK4x

— LA City Attorney (@CityAttorneyLA) January 4, 2019

The illustration was origin reported on Th inwards the New York Times.

Back inwards December, the newspaper ran a thoroughly investigative write-up which pose a spotlight on 40+ apps that had been constitute to last taking payoff of the place information gathered from customers inwards an improper manner. The Weather Company was identified inwards that fascinating article equally 1 of the firms that secretly collect place information from apps.

Both Apple too Google require that apps must attempt permission to utilisation place data, too produce too so past times leveraging official APIs too criterion operating arrangement prompts. Apple’s rules permit developers to utilisation customers’ place information to serve advertising that meets its guidelines too furnish services that are straight relevant to the app inwards question.

The occupation is, piece an app must reveal via the arrangement prompt how users’ place information shall last used—for instance, “getting estimated move times”—Apple’s rules for writing those messages produce non require disclosing developers’ advertising or data-sale practices.

Here’s only about other relevant excerpt from the suit:

The permission prompt does non reveal that The Weather Company volition portion geolocation amongst tertiary political party nor that place volition last used for advertising or other commercial purposes unrelated to conditions or to the services the app provides.

The permission prompt too fails to reference or link to whatever other source containing to a greater extent than detailed information almost what users’ geolocation information volition last used for.

Users thence guide maintain no ground to believe that their geolocation information volition last used for anything other than providing them amongst ‘personalized local conditions data, alerts too forecasts’ or other services straight relating to the app.

The New York Times floor constitute out that these prompts rarely elevate ads or sale of data.

The Weather Channel app, owned past times an IBM subsidiary, told users that sharing their locations would permit them larn personalized local conditions reports. IBM said the subsidiary, the Weather Company, discussed other uses inwards its privacy policy too inwards a carve upward privacy settings department of the app. Information on advertising was included there, but a business office of the app called Location Settings made no elevate of it.

This cannot last chalked upward to only miserable interface design.

The app did non explicitly reveal that the society had too analyzed the information for hedge funds—a airplane pilot computer programme that was promoted on the company’s website. An IBM spokesman said the airplane pilot had ended. IBM updated the app’s privacy policy on Dec 5, subsequently queries from The Times, to country that it mightiness portion aggregated place information for commercial purposes such equally analyzing pes traffic.

“The Weather Company has ever been transparent amongst utilisation of place data. The disclosures are fully appropriate too nosotros volition defend them vigorously,” said an IBM spokesperson.

The LA suit basically takes final result amongst the burying of questionable location-gathering practices inwards confusing language. An average user, the suit argues, would guide maintain no ground to read opaque privacy policy only to figure out how their information is actually beingness used.

As LA City Attorney said, “It must last clear to app users that the toll of their conditions forecast volition last the sacrifice of deeply individual info—like exactly where they are—day too night.”

In Steve Jobs’ ain words, privacy entails people knowing what they’re signing upward for, inwards patently English. “I believe people are smart too only about people desire to portion to a greater extent than information than other people do. Ask them. Ask them every time,” he said at the D8 conference inwards 2010.

“Make them tell you lot to halt call for them if they larn tired of your call for them,” he added. “Let them know exactly what you’re going to produce amongst their data.”

If anything, this litigation could last the catalyst for other of import legislative activity which should assure that our individual information remains private.

Feel gratis to postal service your thoughts on this theme inwards the comments department downwards below.

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