A consumer group has filed a class-action lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the company of covertly collecting sensitive data and tracking users’ locations without their consent. The suit was filed in federal court in San Francisco, informs Quartz.
According to the plaintiffs, Amazon collects personal data through the Amazon Ads SDK, the code that the company provides to developers of mobile applications. This mechanism allows data to be obtained without the proper authorization of users.
The lawsuit states that even if users allow apps with the Amazon Ads SDK built-in to track their location, they cannot stop the company from collecting that information. In addition, Amazon allegedly does not disclose the collection of geolocation data and does not ask for permission to receive it.
The lead plaintiff in the case is California resident Felix Kolotynsky, who claims Amazon obtained his data through Ookla’s Speedtest app, which uses the Amazon Ads SDK.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers believe that the company’s actions violate California law. They are seeking financial compensation for all state residents who used apps containing Amazon’s SDK.
