Apple accused of selling customers' iTunes data, lawsuit filed
What's the story
Apple, one of the largest advocates of privacy in the technology sphere, has been accused of selling iTunes data. Irony, much? Three individuals, two from Rhode Island and one from Michigan, have filed a class action lawsuit alleging that the Cupertino giant has or is disclosing their information to third parties, Bloomberg reported. Here's more on the matter.
Case
Sharing of iTunes' listening data
The lawsuit, filed in a California district court, alleges that Apple has or is disclosing the iTunes' listening data of the plaintiffs as well as "hundreds of thousands" of other users' to third parties. The information, according to the suit, is being shared without consent and includes a lot of personal data, including their names, ages, addresses and iTunes' music purchase history.
Issue
Companies selling this data to individuals, entities
The lawsuit adds that the information shared by Apple is being sold or rented further by the third parties. This sale gives individuals and entities an opportunity to gain an insight into the listening habits of select groups, based on any criteria. Notably, at least two companies were found selling this data at an approximate price of $136 per thousand Apple customers.
Details
Then, this puts a target on customers
The selling and ensuing renting of listening data and other personal information of iTunes users can directly put them at risk, the lawsuit argues. Basically, anyone holding this kind of information could identify and target people who are particularly vulnerable. Plus, it is also worth noting that this data gives fraudulent telemarketers a new set of users to target.
Demand
What the lawsuit seeks
Now, the plaintiffs are seeking a compensation of $250 for every Rhode Island customer and $5,000 for every Michigan customer who had their personal iTunes listening information disclosed by this way. Meanwhile, Apple has neither commented on the matter nor explained if this kind of information disclosure every took place from its end.