http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2016/02/18/vizio-class-action-lawsuit/80571054/INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana man is suing TV manufacturer Vizio for collecting data about his viewing habits and selling it to third parties.
He also contends that people did not consent to and or know about Vizio’s practices, which are facing several legal challenges in other states.
The “defendant’s smart televisions collect personally identifying information … through its Smart Interactivity software, and then disclose this private information to third parties, such as advertisers or data brokers,” according to the class-action lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court here.
“What people don’t understand is in this era ... is who has access to your information and what they know about you,” said lawyer Lynn Toops at Cohen & Malad, whose firm is representing Trent Strader of Indianapolis. “Consumers need to understand that if they connect this TV to Internet, Vizio is collecting information and sending it to advertisers.”
This case against Vizio most likely will be bundled with others and heard in one central court. Toops said she will seek the maximum financial penalty against Vizio allowed under the law on behalf of Strader.
“It needs to be absolutely clear what’s happening,” she said. “That way, the consumer can make the choice to buy the product or not. And there should be an option to turn it off or understand that they can’t.”
Now I'm not the most tech savvy dude, but even I have kept up with technology enough to know this was happening. To me, this stinks of lawyer scat just because it's a class action suit. The ONLY folks who make any money off a class action are the lawyers. The actual people who are hurt always end up with a pittance. All this while the company pays out the ying yang.
Edit: Crap. Too early and not enough caffeine. Wrong topic.
Feel free to relocate it to the correct location, Pan.