from I see you department
We’ve noted for years how US consumers’ location data is routinely abused by a long list of malicious actors, including wireless carriers, broadband providers, app makers, ad tech companies , data brokers, police, people posing as police, governments, etc. .
It is also, not too surprisingly, a problem in Canada.
Restaurant chain Tim Hortons was recently discovered to be collecting “large amounts of sensitive location data” in violation of Canadian privacy laws. Specifically, a report found that the app tracked a user’s location more than 2,700 times in less than six months every time they left home, visited a competitor, or visited a local sports venue. and the restaurant chain was misleading users into believing that tracking would only occur when the app was in use.
Don’t worry though, as part of a new settlement with the company, it says it will give affected customers enough money for a “free hot drink and baked good” worth retail. total of $8.58:
As is usually the case, the payment (accompanied by no formal admission of fault) is probably a tiny fraction of the money gleaned from collecting users’ location data and then sending it to some moron with a nickel. Here in the United States, Roe’s reversal has finally caused people to worry more seriously about the potential abuse of this data, although meaningful reform is still elusive.
Filed Under: apps, canada, location data, security, smartphone, surveillance, wireless
Companies: tim hortons
Comments are closed.