Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Amazon is facing a lawsuit accusing it of secretly tracking users through their smartphones and collecting personal data without consent.
- The lawsuit claims Amazon used its Ads SDK in third-party apps to gain backdoor access to phones, gathering location data that could reveal sensitive details like religious beliefs and health conditions.
- The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco court, seeks $5 billion in damages for millions of Californians allegedly affected.
A new lawsuit claims Amazon might know everything your smartphone knows about you — down to your coffee runs, gym visits, and even your place of worship — thanks to hidden code embedded in popular apps.
According to the lawsuit, first reported by Reuters, Amazon’s data collection practices allegedly allowed it to track users’ movements in great detail, revealing where they live, work, and shop. The complaint further claims that this data could expose even more personal aspects of consumers’ lives, such as religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and health conditions.
Plaintiff Felix Kolotinsky, a California resident, says Amazon collected his data through the widely used “Speedtest by Ookla” app, then packaged and sold it for profit. “Amazon has effectively fingerprinted consumers and has correlated a vast amount of personal information about them entirely without consumers’ knowledge and consent,” the complaint states.
At the heart of the case is the “Amazon Ads SDK,” code the company reportedly shared with developers to integrate into their apps. Once installed, the lawsuit claims, this tool acted like a digital breadcrumb trail, logging users’ movements 24/7.
Kolotinsky claims Amazon’s actions violated California’s strict privacy and computer access laws, and the lawsuit is seeking $5 billion in damages on behalf of millions of Californians. Amazon has yet to respond to the allegations, and attorneys for the plaintiff have not provided additional comments.
This lawsuit adds to a growing debate over how companies collect and profit from user data without explicit permission. While the lawsuit stops short of alleging Amazon flat-out eavesdropped on its users, it underscores how companies can piece together intimate details using seemingly harmless tools, like the code hiding in your everyday apps.
