Bose makes some of the best audio equipment around. However, the company might be using some of its technology to break the law.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Chicago, Kyle Zak alleges Bose spies on its wireless headphone customers by using an app that tracks the various types of audio entertainment they listen to, according to Reuters. Furthermore, Zak claims the Framingham, Mass., company violates privacy rights by selling users’ information without permission.
“People should be uncomfortable with it,” Christopher Dore, Zak’s lawyer, said in an interview, via Reuters “People put headphones on their head because they think it’s private, but they can be giving out information they don’t want to share.”
Zak reportedly is seeking millions of dollars in damages for buyers of various Bose headphones and speakers. Additionally, he wants there to be a freezing of data collection, which he said violates the federal Wiretap Act.
After downloading the Bose Connect app, Zak said he provided his name, email address and headphone serial number, according to Reuters. But he said he was surprised to discover “all available media information” was sent to third parties.
Segment.io, one of the parties Bose sends the information to, promises on its website to collect customer data and “send it anywhere,” according to Reuters.
Thumbnail photo via Flickr/Tools of Men
