AccuWeather App Stealing Location Data
| AccuWeather App Stealing Location Data | |
|---|---|
| Short Title | AccuWeather App Collecting and Sharing User Data without Consent |
| Location | Global |
| Date | August 2017 |
| Solove Harm | Surveillance, Increased Accessibility, Breach of Confidentiality, Secondary Use, Exclusion |
| Information | location, Identifying, Computer Device |
| Threat Actors | AccuWeather App |
| Individuals | |
| Affected | iOS Users of AccuWeather App |
| High Risk Groups | |
| Tangible Harms | |
In August 2017 AccuWeather was caught collecting user location data, even when location sharing was off.
Description
In August 2017, the AccuWeather iOS app was found to be collecting user location data even when users had their location turned off (Surveillance) (Exclusion). Even though this feature was removed from the app after online criticism, the app was continuing sharing users location data with advertisers and data monetization firms, such as Reveal Mobile, without users explicit permission (Breach of Confidentiality, Increased Accessibility). The company was also accused of another privacy violation: they were collecting users precise GPS coordinates for local weather alerts, but were sharing it with third parties who used it for ads and data monetizing purposes (Secondary Use).