Apple faced a bit of legal controversy and some parody over the location-tracking capabilities in iOS but it appeared to pretty much blow over. Until now. Thousands of South Koreans are suing Apple in a class-action lawsuit and said that the iOS location-tracking is a violation of their privacy.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the class-action lawsuit is seeking roughly $6 million in damages and it comes after Apple paid out less than $1,000 to a single Korean who sued over similar issues. Apple did release a software update for iOS which addressed many of the location-tracking issues.
What concerns me is that this may start a tidal wave of other lawsuits in countries with strict privacy laws. Apple definitely has the cash to handle it but you hate to see it have to play whack a mole with these lawsuits.
I do believe that Apple and Google and all the major mobile players need to do a better job of being upfront about how these devices utilize your location. Most of us buy smartphones for the benefits of LBS but I understand how scary it can be when you realize that this big corporation can track your movements for a long time. It’s all about understanding the risks and assessing them responsibly.
