Slashdot Mirror
Comcast Sued Over Internet Data Gathering
saikou writes: "Slashdot already had an article about Comcast using transparent cache systems to track their cable modem users' browsing habits (purely for improvment of their networks, of course) and now here's the follow-up. Newsbyte posted yesterday a story about the lawsuit, demanding $100 per day of tracking for each customer. I guess even if it will work out, customers might get oh, say, $10. With rest being a fee for the lawyer(s) :)" Update: 05/25 12:37 GMT by T : burgburgburg points to a New York Times article about the case, and reminds you of two previous mentions of the controversial user-tracking effort (one, two).
A multimillion-dollar privacy lawsuit on behalf of customers of Comcast's broadband Internet service has been filed in a federal court, according to the plaintiff's attorney.
o licy.asp .
The litigation seeks compensation for the approximately one million Comcast Internet customers nationwide whose Web surfing habits were tracked by the Internet service provider earlier this year, according to Steven E. Goren, a partner with Goren & Goren, the Michigan law firm handling the case.
In February, Comcast admitted that for a period of six weeks it had been recording information such as the IP (Internet protocol) address of customers' computers as well as Web pages they visited. The company said it discontinued the practice following news reports and customer complaints.
The lawsuit alleges that Comcast violated the Cable TV Privacy Act of 1984, and asks the court to award $100 per day for each day of violation or up to $1,000 for all affected Comcast customers, as provided under the statute, according to Goren.
A spokesperson for Comcast said the lawsuit was without merit and that the big cable company would defend itself vigorously.
"We have not in any way compromised their privacy or linked Internet usage data to personally identifying information," said the spokesperson, who added that Comcast has never shared personal information about where its subscribers go on the Internet.
In a February statement, Comcast's president said the company collected the surfing data as the result of network changes. After the bankruptcy of its partner AtHome Corp., Comcast moved its Internet customers to its own network, which uses special "proxy" servers from Inktomi to speed up performance.
The lawsuit, filed May 17 in U.S. District Court for the Michigan's Eastern District, lists a Michigan resident named Jeffrey Klimas as plaintiff, and requests a jury trial.
According to the statute, 47 USC 551(b), cable operators are prohibited from collecting "personally identifiable information concerning any subscriber without the prior written or electronic consent of the subscriber concerned."
Goren & Goren is online at http://www.consumerprotection.com .
Comcast's February statement is at http://comcast.comcastonline.com/internetprivacyp
The usual conclusion to a class-action lawsuit like this is that it is settled, with the lawyers receiving a multi-million dollar fee and the individual members of the class receiving something like a coupon worth 10% off list price on the next purchase, i.e., diddly squat.
By the time the lawyers get their "cut", the comcast customers will end up getting a BILL for the settlement, and the lawyers will end up with the customary 100.01%