SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The audio maker Bose, whose wireless headphones sell for up to $350, uses an app to collect the listening habits of its customers and provide that information to third parties—all without the knowledge and permission of the users, according to a lawsuit filed in Chicago on Tuesday.
The complaint accuses Boston-based Bose of violating the WireTap Act and a variety of state privacy laws, adding that a person's audio history can include a window into a person's life and views.
"Indeed, one's personal audio selections – including music, radio broadcast, Podcast, and lecture choices – provide an incredible amount of insight into his or her personality, behavior, political views, and personal identity," says the complaint, noting a person's audio history may contain files like LGBT podcasts or Muslim call-to-prayer recordings.
The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is a man named Kyle Zak, who claims he followed the company's suggestion to "get the most out of your headphones" by downloading the Bose Connect app, and supplying information such as his name, phone number and email address.
Zak is seeking to represent other headphone owners over allegations of illegal data mining. According to the complaint, Bose created detailed profiles of customers' listening histories and habits, and shared it with marketing companies, including a San Francisco firm called Segment whose website offers to "collect all or[sic] your customer customer data and send it anywhere."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 20 2017, @08:06PM (7 children)
Oh no!
Bose is telling everyone about my secret identity as a 17 year old girl trapped in the body of a 39 year old man?
My life is over!
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 20 2017, @08:13PM
I swapped bodies with grandma and now grandpa wants to fuck me. Ew.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 20 2017, @08:29PM (1 child)
If you use Bose, your life was already over, haven't you heard this one:
No highs, no lows...
must be Bose.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 20 2017, @08:36PM
Since when do listeners of "teen pop" care about audio quality?
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 20 2017, @08:51PM (2 children)
Oh no!
Bose is telling everyone about my secret identity as a 17 year old girl trapped in the body of a 39 year old man?
My life is over!
No one cares about that ... but your mix tapes of Milli Vanilli, Neil Diamond and Stryper all doing Tom Jones and WASP covers is concerning to us all.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 20 2017, @08:55PM
My secret lover is 108
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 21 2017, @02:02AM
Listen to Assange to get on "the lists".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 21 2017, @03:12PM
"Don't you feel like you've got caught listening to your younger sister's playlist and secretly loving it?"
--- Dj Cara / Nonstop Pop FM/ GTA V