Yet another tech company is in hot water over its use of geo-location. This time, it’s Microsoft. Seattle-based law firm filed suit against the company alleging that the Camera application on the Windows Phone 7 sends out user information—even when the person has not given the app permission to do so.
Sounds familiar? Google and Apple faced similar accusations and concerns about privacy violations with Latitude and the iPhone, respectively.
In this case, the lawyers, who are seeking class action status in federal district court in Washington state, are relying on a report by security researcher Samy Kamkar. The report says the app sends details such as latitude and longitude, a unique ID, and nearby access points, which can lead to “accurate location information…regardless of whether the user allowed it.”
Read more at CNET.
