AT&T Says Customers Can't Sue the Company for Selling Location Data to Bounty Hunters
Due to the contract fine print, AT&T says customers must instead deal with the company privately rather than in court.
AT&T is arguing that its customers can’t sue the company for selling location data to bounty hunters, according to recently filed court records. AT&T says the customers signed contracts that force them into arbitration, meaning consumers have to settle complaints privately with the company rather than in court. The filing is in response to a lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
The news shows the hurdles consumers are faced with when trying to claim compensation from telecos and other tech giants that have arguably abused access to their data, including ultimately selling it to people without authorization to handle such information.
"The plaintiffs have an uphill battle," Deborah Hensler, Director of Law and Policy Lab at Stanford University, said.
The issue circles around mandatory arbitration; that is, forcing consumers to settle complaints privately with the company rather than in court.
"Each time they entered into a new Wireless Customer Agreement with AT&T, they [the plantiffs] not only agreed to AT&T's Privacy Policy but also agreed to resolve their disputes with AT&T—including the claims asserted in this action—in arbitration on an individual basis," AT&T's filing from last week reads. When the plaintiffs, who are AT&T customers, accepted AT&T's terms and conditions when, say, purchasing a new phone, they also agreed specifically to the arbitration clause, AT&T argues.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ne83b7/att-says-cant-sue-class-action-lawsuit-arbitration-selling-location-data-to-bounty-hunters
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