Bose Headphones Secretly Collected User Data, Lawsuit Reveals (fortune.com)

The audio maker Bose, whose wireless headphones sell for up to $350, uses an app to collect the listening habits of its customers and provide that information to third parties -- all without the knowledge and permission of the users, according to a lawsuit filed in Chicago. From a report: The complaint accuses Boston-based Bose of violating the WireTap Act and a variety of state privacy laws, adding that a person's audio history can include a window into a person's life and views. "Indeed, one's personal audio selections -- including music, radio broadcast, Podcast, and lecture choices -- provide an incredible amount of insight into his or her personality, behavior, political views, and personal identity," says the complaint, noting a person's audio history may contain files like LGBT podcasts or Muslim call-to-prayer recordings.

Comments

Oh, shit.

[Anonymous Coward]

I've bought Bose headphones (no, not the wireless: it's pretty improbable they spy on me, for a lack of channel for that).

Remember to add Bose to no-buy list.

HELLO, BOSE: You just went from "I'm a happy customer" to "You're on my no-buy list". Are you glad now?

(Captcha: "decibel". Perhaps my earphones are listening on me, after all?)

Re:Oh, shit.

[Opportunist]

This was for the longest time the approach to security. How high is the damage if our customer data gets lost? How much would it cost to secure it? It costs HOW MUCH? Screw security!

Only when laws were passed that made CEOs personally (!) liable (yes, with their private money) if they can't show that they've taken reasonable steps to secure it, suddenly security became an issue.

And we won't see anything being done in favor of privacy unless corporations feel the govenments' boots on their necks.

Re:Oh, shit.

[Gr8Apes]

Companies are, in fact, not (usually) stupid.

I'd disagree - companies are, in fact, very stupid in very many ways. Just remember that the "brains" of a company for all intents and purposes are usually the CEO/COO and related C level folks. Now realize that most of those folks don't know the first thing about data security (for purposes of this particular topic) and only see the marketer numbers about how collecting x will generate y revenue for a minimal cost of 0.01% of generating y, as they determined with a single question during a program meeting. (Marketers generally have 0 grasp of anything regarding IT best practices and real costs) I have had many fun conversations with bosses about why something so simple as adding an age and gender field to an account and displaying that info costs far more than adding, say, a nickname field, especially when working for an entity that deals with PII restrictions.

I am so sick of this shit

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't buy expensive headphones and generally have avoided some things that are privacy invading. But even surfing the web I get some well-timed mailings that make me fucking paranoid as shit. So to that end I have a request of corporate America: My life is not a resource to be commoditized. Stop fucking spying on me you slimy pieces of shit. I will share information with you IF I WANT TO.

sigh

[Anonymous Coward]

Sigh. I know this is Slashdot, but come on!

Bose Headphones Secretly Collected User Data, Lawsuit Reveals

No.

The lawsuit alleges (innocent until proven guilty) that the Bose completely optional app - not the headphones - collects too much data and shares it with 3rd parties without the user's consent.

Which is bad if true, but it is a far cry from the "your headphones are spying on you" that the headline claims.

Unsurprisingly, Slashdot probably picked this up to take yet another a jab at Apple.

Now, queue ignorant comments about how bluetooth headphones are tools of the devil, Apple is evil, etc.

Re:Bad, but not as horrible as one would think.

[Rick Schumann]

You answered my question before I even asked it: 'Why do you need an App to use wireless headphones?' You don't. You shouldn't ever, either.
How fucked-up is this world, where you can't even get wireless headphones without the gods-be-damned manufacturer invading your privacy and selling your personally-identifiable information for profit?

Re:Your headphones are spying on you.

[squiggleslash]

Why do people who, if you asked them, would say that things like the above shouldn't be stigmatized, then go out of their way to stigmatize them with an implication that content in those categories should be subject to some sort of special expectation of privacy?

Your logic doesn't follow. The issue is that they're already subject to stigma. Therefore (1) we need to remove that, (2) until we do, we need to ensure people who are LGBT or people with minority religious beliefs aren't targeted for that.

The second part of your claim doesn't even make sense. You're not making something subject to stigma by hiding the fact you're doing it, you're hiding it because it's stigmatized.

Re:Your headphones are spying on you.

[Quirkz]

There's nothing special about the right to privacy, and stigmatization doesn't have to have anything to do with it. Anything you don't want to reveal, you ought to be able to keep to yourself. Religion and sexuality get cited a lot, because they're commonly things people might not want to reveal to strangers, corporations, etc.

Re:Your headphones are spying on you.

[ChrisMaple]

Some people's religious beliefs include "I should kill anyone who disagrees with me." Some people act on their beliefs.