Suit Claims Wireless Headphones ‘Spy’ On Users

An Illinois man has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against one of the leading manufacturers of wireless headphones, Bose, claiming they illegally gather and sell their consumers' personal data. Millions of wireless headphone sets have been sold by the company.

According to Yahoo News and Reuters News, Kyle Zak has filed the lawsuit in federal court in Chicago.

The suit claims people who download the wireless Bose app from Google Play or the Apple Store don't know, and are not told, that a variety of personal preferences and data are reportedly sold to third-party data companies. The app allows users to maximize their wireless listening experience.

Audio choices, says the lawsuit, give a very explicit view of a person's likes or dislikes, which can be used as a marketing tool. Zak also said in the suit that he learned that Bose sent "all available media information" from his smartphone to a number of third-part companies, including one called Segment i.o.  According to the suit, this company promises to collect consume data and sent "everywhere."

The legal firm representing Zak, Edelson PC, says consumers do not see the privacy and app's user service agreements when they are enrolling, and the privacy agreement says nothing about data collection. The suit claims this practice violates federal wiretapping and various Illinois consumer fraud and eavesdropping laws.

According to news sources, Edelson PC is a firm that specializes in suing tech companies over alleged privacy violations.

At least 7 Bose headphone models are named in the suit.