By Jessica Dye
NEW YORK, Dec 6 (Reuters) - California's attorney general
office said on Thursday it was suing Delta Air Lines Inc for
distributing a mobile application without a privacy policy, the
first-ever legal action under the state's online privacy law.
The lawsuit targets Delta's 'Fly Delta' app for smartphones
and other electronic devices. The app allows customers to check
in online, view reservations and book flights, collecting
significant personal data from users, including the user's name,
phone number, email and geographic location.
The civil complaint filed in a California state court
accuses Delta of distributing the app without a privacy policy
since at least 2010, violating the California Online Privacy
Protection Act, a 2004 state law.
Delta was given 30 days to conspicuously post a privacy
policy telling its Fly Delta app users what information was
being collected and how it was being used, but did not, the
attorney general's office said.
It added that Delta could face up to $2,500 for each
violation of the privacy policy.
Delta could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday
evening.
"Losing your personal privacy should not be at the cost of
using mobile apps, but all too often is," Attorney General
Kamala Harris said in a statement.
"California law is clear that mobile apps collecting
personal information need privacy policies, and that the users
of those apps deserve to know what is being done with their
personal information."
The case is People v. Delta Air Lines Inc., in California
Superior Court, San Francisco, 12-526741.
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