California Sues Delta Air Lines Over Mobile Privacy

Posted by timothy on Saturday December 15, 2012 @01:24AM from the best-practices dept.

New submitter mrheckman writes "California is suing Delta Air Lines for violation of California's on-line privacy law. Delta failed to 'conspicuously post a privacy policy within their mobile app that informs users of what personally identifiable information is being collected and what will be done with it' after a 30-day notice. Delta's app collects 'substantial personally identifiable information such as a user's full name, telephone number, email address, frequent flyer account number and pin code, photographs, and geo-location.' Why is it we still can't control what permissions an app has on our phones? It's absurd and disturbing that an app for checking flights and baggage demands all of those permissions."

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you read the set of permissions. by queazocotal · 2012-12-15 01:26 · Score: 4, Insightful

You install or do not install.
1. Re:you read the set of permissions. by Mitreya · 2012-12-15 01:53 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  You install or do not install.
  You're thinking of the jungle
  In a civilized society, there are laws that may actually protect consumers. This lawsuit is a demonstration of that
  They should at least make it easy for you to figure out what they collect and what they may do with this information - and they have not.
Kind of silly by Emperor+Shaddam+IV · 2012-12-15 02:29 · Score: 4, Insightful

I have this app on my iPhone. You can use it as a guest, but really its for frequent flyers that already have Delta sky miles accounts. The majority of people using this app have already provided most of the mentioned personal information, if not more because they have a SkyMiles Account and they have bought plane tickets. So this lawsuit is kind of silly in my opinion.