Privacy Suit Filed Against Path, Twitter, Apple, Facebook, Others

Thirteen individuals have filed a lawsuit against more than a dozen mobile app makers--including Path, Twitter, Apple, and Facebook--who were accused of automatically uploading user address books without permission.

Read the whole story: CNET News

Comments

[aquarius021793]

11:53 PM on 03/18/2012

I don't think people have the intelligence to care anymore. They use every social networking site, post their entire life on it, and think no one is gonna see it besides the people they want to see it. I find it pretty funny to be honest.

[dukeitout]

09:46 PM on 03/18/2012

I used to have only 2 friends (maximum). Now I have approximately 300-400. It took only 2 weeks. I know they will be there for me when I'm in need. Thank you Twitter and Facebook. I could never imagine you disclosing my information without my permission.

Nurse, bring me a glass of milk please.

[realitytrumpsbull]

08:34 PM on 03/18/2012

If you use the internet, you have a lot less privacy than if you didn't use the internet, but even if you don't use the internet, you have a lot less privacy than you did in years past. Why? It's the Information Age, where everyone's got a file. What's in YOUR file?

[Grouchy Larry]

06:54 PM on 03/18/2012

When I got my droid I paired it with a secondary gmail account, but then it pulled in my address book from my main account. Dirty business, and shame on Google, do no harm, yeah, right.

[Sandy Goforth]

05:34 PM on 03/18/2012

A.O.L has pending suits for privacy issues as well.

[BadHaBritt]

05:18 PM on 03/18/2012

This illicit theft of user's information has got to stop and hopefully this lawsuit will succeed and drop a bomb on this rampant abuse. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE THAT INVOLVES FAR MORE THAN JUST ADDRESS BOOKS.

[Bobbito]

05:07 PM on 03/18/2012

An analogy here folks: if you've been showing off your Hooters during Spring Break
after too many Mojitos & were caught flashing on camera, it's a little to late to be bewailing your invasion of privacy by the person holding the camera. The various electronic social media are like giant intergalactic billboards.......

[BadHaBritt]

05:21 PM on 03/18/2012

You obviously missed the whole point. These people were not putting their address books (hooters on your pathetic example) on display to the social media or any other nefarious corporate internet thieves.

[Bobbito]

06:12 PM on 03/18/2012

The point is if you put anything out there it is totally out of your control.....

[Freeflyer9]

04:11 PM on 03/18/2012

Even if I decided to delete everything on my FB page, then delete my account (not deactivate, but remove completely) All of my information and everything I've ever typed on FB is still stored on their servers waiting for the highest bidder to purchase that info. If I delete something it should be deleted from their servers forever!! These companies deserve to be sued for privacy violations.

[Anirey]

03:35 PM on 03/18/2012

Social networking should be private. They should be sued to ensure that people's privacy is protected at all time.

[Barbarian At The Gate]

03:31 PM on 03/18/2012

Some of social networking apps are going too far. I read about one app that lets the user find information about people who share the same friends and then locate them via GPS. The author of one story stated a stranger called her out by name in a restaurant and already knew a lot about her from an app.

[BadHaBritt]

05:23 PM on 03/18/2012

We desperately need regulations to protect users of the social media and other on line services.

[ohiomark]

02:15 PM on 03/18/2012

People go on Facebook and Twitter and tell us every detail about their everyday lives and then they claim to want privacy?

Talk about ironic.

[rltballer]

03:09 PM on 03/18/2012

I am on Facebook but not Twitter. I don't tell every detail either. If they are "hacking" and stealing any info from my phone then they need to be stopped and pay for damages. It is that simple.

[rltballer]

03:11 PM on 03/18/2012

FYI I have my Facebook protected so only my friends can see my posts or information. If any company uses my account to steal others identities that is invasion of privacy.

[Renee27]

01:42 PM on 03/18/2012

I like Google products but there needs to be some boundaries here.

This scares me - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704648604575620750998072986.html

That is why I have decided to limit my exposure to social media, and I've changed my default search engine to "Duck Duck Go".

[Cael]

01:41 PM on 03/18/2012

I find that the people that seem to complain the most about privacy are the ones that have no problem on social media to tell everyone they just took a poop.

Besides the stupidity of Facebook and Twitter, companies do not have the right to user your data as they see fit without your permission. One of the big problems it seems is Term of Service agreements in general. They toss everything in them these days and think that gives them the right to break the law if you say ok to it. You already have many companies putting in the TOS that you do not have the right to sue them, what next, "We have the right to come to your house and murder you if we feel you posted something inappropriate"?

[jws2346]

01:39 PM on 03/18/2012

Privacy, what privacy? You put your personal business on Twitter or Face book and you expect privacy? That must be some potent dope you're smoking.

[Killermolls44]

03:43 PM on 03/18/2012

Personal business to a certain number of people you actually know, well at least in my case. If I wanted my Facebook profile to be accessible to the public I'd remove my privacy settings.

[jws2346]

03:48 PM on 03/18/2012

Yawnnnn....,

[Pod-gers]

01:19 PM on 03/18/2012

Good.