$25 Million Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Apple in South Korea Over Location Data Collection

Last month, we noted that Apple had been ordered by a South Korean court to pay out one million won (approximately $946 at the time) to an iPhone user in a case regarding the company's collection of location data. At the time, it was reported that the plaintiff's lawyers were working to file a class-action lawsuit to cover additional users claiming to have been harmed by the collection.

sueapple co kr
Bloomberg reports that that lawsuit has now been filed, with about 27,000 users signing on to the lawsuit and each seeking one million won ($930) in compensation.

A group of South Korean users of Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone sued the company in a local court, claiming it invaded their privacy by allowing the smartphone to collect location data without their consent.

About 27,000 people joined a class-action suit against Apple’s South Korean unit and headquarters, seeking 1 million won per person ($930) in damages, according to a notice posted online by Mirae Law, which represents the plaintiffs. The suit was filed in Changwon, south of Seoul, where the law firm is located.

The report notes that in addition to the earlier judgment against Apple, the company was also fined 3 million won earlier this month by the Korea Communications Commission over the same issue. Apple has also been ordered to encrypt any location data collected, a step Apple previously promised to take.

Top Rated Comments

TimUSCA Avatar
165 months ago
Anyone suing over this isn't aware of what was really going on. All smartphones cache this data. It just happened that iOS wasn't deleting it when it was supposed to. And it certainly wasn't delivered back to Cupertino.

There's a HUGE difference between the implications and what really happened.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SG1-1 Avatar
165 months ago
You have no problem letting Apple collecting your location WITHOUT your consent?

Apple took no location data, if you really understood that the information was only on the phone from cell towers location... That's it.

It never once went to Apple in Any way.

Get your story straight or stop posting garbage.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TimUSCA Avatar
165 months ago
Just like all smart-phones have the "grip of death", right?

Don't try to spin this into something it isn't... every smartphone LITERALLY collects this same information. The difference being that other smartphones were deleting the cache on a regular basis.

And again... the information iOS was collecting was *never* sent away from the phone it was stored on.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TimUSCA Avatar
165 months ago
You have no problem letting Apple collecting your location WITHOUT your consent?

Absolutely not. It was very inaccurate information and only served to better locate you at towers and on GPS when you wanted it. It's not like it had any information on what store you shopped at, and even if it did, it wasn't information that was transferred anywhere off the actual phone.

People are worked up over nothing.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gemütlichkeit Avatar
165 months ago
Lawyers looking to cash in so the customers can get their $.84
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
igazza Avatar
165 months ago
2011 is going to be the year of the lawsuits.

This part is true.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...