Weather Channel app accused of mishandling users' data

摘要

People relied on the most popular mobile weather app to track forecasts that determined whether they chose jeans over shorts andpacked a parka or umbrella, but its owners used it to track their every step and profit off that information, Los Angeles prosecutors saidFriday.The operator of the Weather Channel mobile app misled users who agreed to share their location information in exchange forpersonalized forecasts and alerts, and they instead unwittingly surrendered personal privacy when the company sold their data to thirdparties, City Attorney Michael Feuer said.Feuer sued the app's operator in Los Angeles County Superior Court to stop the practice. He said 80 percent of users agreed to allowaccess to their locations because disclosures on how the app uses geolocation data were buried within a 10,000-word privacy policyand not revealed when they downloaded the app.