On Wednesday, Amazon.com faced a lawsuit from consumers who claim the retailer has been covertly tracking their locations via smartphones and selling the data it collects.
The proposed class action, filed in federal court in San Francisco, alleges that Amazon gained “backdoor access” to consumers’ devices by distributing a code called Amazon Ads SDK to tens of thousands of app developers for integration into their applications.
This practice purportedly allowed Amazon to gather substantial timestamped geolocation data, shedding light on consumers’ residences, workplaces, shopping habits, and other locations, thereby uncovering sensitive personal details including religious beliefs, sexual orientations, and health issues.
The lawsuit states, “Amazon has effectively fingerprinted consumers and has correlated a vast amount of personal information about them entirely without consumers’ knowledge and consent.”
The suit was initiated by Felix Kolotinsky from San Mateo, California, who claims that Amazon accessed his personal information through the “Speedtest by Ookla” app installed on his phone.
Kolotinsky argues that Amazon’s actions are in violation of California penal law and state regulations concerning unauthorized computer access. He is seeking unspecified damages on behalf of millions of California residents.
A representative from Amazon, headquartered in Seattle, has not yet commented on the allegations. Similarly, the attorneys representing the plaintiff have not provided additional remarks.
This suit highlights a growing concern among individuals and regulators regarding the unauthorized data collection practices of companies exploiting personal information from smartphones.
In a related context, on January 13, the state of Texas filed a lawsuit against Allstate, contending that the company tracked drivers through their cellphones, influencing premium rates and coverage decisions, and selling the data to other insurers.
Allstate maintained that its data collection practices comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Since then, at least eight similar private lawsuits have been filed against the company.
The case is listed as Kolotinsky v. Amazon.com Inc et al, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 25-00931.
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