Apple, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint as well as Carrier IQ have been sued in the Delaware Federal Court over an issue revolving around cell phone tracking software. The parties against which the lawsuit has been dropped are apparently guilty of crossing the line in terms of customers’ privacy rights.
The law firms which filed the complaint in the Federal Court in Wilmington, Delaware include Sianni & Straite LLP of Wilmington, DE, Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow & McElroy LLP of Edison, NJ and Keefe Bartels L.L.C. of Red Bank, NJ. The plaintiffs claimed that a breach of the digital privacy rights of almost 150 million mobile phone users has been committed by the said manufacturers and network operators.
“This latest revelation of corporate America’s brazen disregard for the digital privacy rights of its customers is yet another example of the escalating erosion of liberty in this country. We are hopeful that the courts will allow ordinary customers the opportunity to remedy this outrageous breach,” observed David Straite, one of the attorneys leading the action.
According to the lawsuit, these cell phone providers and manufacturers have disobeyed rules laid down in the Federal Wiretap Act, the Stored Electronic Communications Act and the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. As per the law firms, the aforementioned parties were caught taking undue advantage of their customers’ privacy rights and this made it a direct violation of federal laws. The matter also covers the news that a certain blogger in Connecticut who frequently writes about technology, discovered that software developed and sold by the California-based company Carrier IQ, was actually tracking personal and sensitive information of cell phone users without their permission or knowledge.
In response to these allegations, Carrier IQ has issued a statement denying the claims of foul play that it has been accused of by the law firms. Making their stance clear, the company has declared that its firmware was solely created for helping operators offer improved services by appraising the performance of the device.