Bose stays silent after lawsuit claims it sold consumer data

The headphone manufacturer hasn’t made a statement regarding allegations that it shared customers’ listening preferences and more. As privacy concerns rise, marketers should be wary.

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Customer Kyle Zak filed a civil lawsuit in a Chicago federal court this week, claiming that Bose’s Connect mobile application secretly collected information about his audio choices. The company, Zak claimed, sent that information to third parties, including Segment.io.

“Indeed, one’s personal audio selections – including music, radio broadcast, Podcast, and lecture choices – provide an incredible amount of insight into his or her personality, behavior, political views, and personal identity,” the complaint states.

It also notes that a person’s choices could indicate, for example, their sexual preference or religion.

“People should be uncomfortable with it,” Christopher Dore, Zak’s lawyer, told Science World Report. “People put headphones on their head because they think it’s private, but they can be giving out information they don’t want to share.”

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