Angry Birds and Angry Plaintiffs

Apple faces yet another class action lawsuit, this time for violating users’ privacy through the time-killing Angry Birds app. Similar to an earlier class action suit stemming from how the iPhone tracks users’ locations; this lawsuit claims the Angry Birds app collects users’ information without their knowledge and consent, according to mactech.com.

Once a user downloads an app from Apple’s app store, the tracking software collects the person’s age, gender and location. The app can then pass along that information to advertisers, who can then build a profile of the user. The advertisers can keep track of what ads you clicked on in your web browser.

The tracking companies claim that they group the collected information and do not link it to specific individuals. However, a Wall Street Journal article last year said that developers could pair the user’s Unique Device Identifier with other private information on the user’s device such as passwords, contacts and the user’s name.

Others claim Apple installs its iPhones and iPads with software that allows advertisers to track what apps users download and for how long they use them.

Internet tracking by advertisers appears here-to-stay. Four days ago, I clicked on a picture of a messenger bag at Banana Republic’s website. Now, almost web page I go to displays a Banana Republic advertisement along with a picture of that messenger bag.

Colson Hicks Eidson – Florida Class Action Lawyer