A federal judge has made significant adjustments to a lawsuit that accuses Apple of infringing on the privacy of users of its iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch devices. The lawsuit claims that Apple collected personal data through its proprietary applications, including the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple TV.
U.S. District Judge Edward Davila, based in San Jose, California, ruled on Thursday to dismiss the majority of claims related to the “Allow Apps to Request to Track” feature on Apple devices. However, he allowed certain claims to move forward concerning the “Share [Device] Analytics” setting.
Users of mobile devices allege that Apple breached user agreements and various privacy and consumer protection laws by promising that turning off specific settings would reduce its data collection, storage, and usage. They claim that Apple disregarded these settings by continuing to gather and utilize their information.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, is part of a broader trend of legal actions targeting technology companies like Apple, Google (a subsidiary of Alphabet), and Meta Platforms’ Facebook for purportedly collecting user data without appropriate consent.
In his 39-page ruling, Judge Davila pointed out that Apple explicitly informed users that the “Allow Apps to Request to Track” setting pertained to applications and websites operated by other companies. This clarification led him to describe the notion that turning off the setting meant withdrawing consent for Apple to collect data through its own applications as “implausible.”
In contrast, the judge found that users had a plausible claim of withdrawing consent when they disabled the “Share [Device] Analytics” setting. He highlighted Apple’s own disclosures, which indicated that users could fully “disable the sharing of Device Analytics.”
Apple, based in Cupertino, California, has stated that it collects data through this setting to enhance its products and services.
As of Friday, the attorneys representing the plaintiffs had not responded to requests for comments, nor had Apple or its legal team offered statements regarding the ruling.
The case is officially titled In re Apple Data Privacy Litigation and is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California under case number 22-07069.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
