Internet giant Google has been sued by a privacy activist who has demanded that it should pay to replace his Android smartphone because he doesn’t consent to its new privacy policy which comes into effect from Saturday.
Alex Hanff, a prominent privacy campaigner based in Lancaster, has
filed a claim at the small claims court for around 400 pounds to replace his HTC Desire.
The claim argues that radical changes that Google had made to how it treats users’ data, which affects all Android users, represents an unfair change in contract terms and will force Hanff to buy a new smartphone.
“The changes are a significant infringement of my right to privacy and I do not consent to Google being able to use my data in such a way,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.
Under Google’s new policy, user data from more than 60 of its services will be pooled to create a single profile for each of its hundreds of millions of users.
By matching data from search histories, Gmail and YouTube, and from dozens more services, the firm will be able to infer more about users’ interests and target advertising more accurately.