Do people just sit around and wait for revelations of privacy problems to initiate potential class action lawsuits? It sure seems that way recently.
Facebook is being sued by a group of users over claims it tracks their online activity after they log off. The claims were exposed by an Australian technology blogger, Nik Cubrilovic, who conducted tests that revealed that when users log out, the site does not delete tracking ”cookies” but modifies them, keeping information that can identify users as they surf the internet.
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The lawsuit – filed by Perrin Aikens Davis, of Illinois – seeks class status on behalf of other Facebook users in the US. Davis seeks unspecified damages and a court order blocking the tracking based on violations of federal laws, including restrictions on wiretapping, as well as computer fraud and abuse statutes.
Read more from Bloomberg on Sydney Morning Herald.
There’s something really troubling to me about people just initiating such litigation before there’s been any chance to verify or explore what actually happened and what data might have actually been obtained. I don’t like Facebook, but aren’t some of these rush-to-sue lawsuits getting a bit absurd?