Uber Sues L.A. Dept. of Transportation: The Week in Data News
A slew of data-related lawsuit were either settled or initiated this past week, most of which center on the usage of location data by large companies. Read on for this week’s data privacy recap.

Uber taking L.A. to court over data-tracking tool
In another high-profile case, Uber filed a lawsuit and restraining order against the city of Los Angeles this past week. The issue at hand is a tool currently used by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. The tool collects real-time trip data from the various rechargeable scooters and bikes that now flood the streets of major cities like Los Angeles. When these devices started to spread in popularity, the city passed a “mobility data specification” which allowed the enablement of a tracking program called Provider. The software actively sends trip data back to city headquarters. The main rationale for the feature was that it allowed the city to track the devices, ensuring they didn’t get lost or bunched up in areas that would be inconvenient or hazardous. The issue with tracking individual trips, however, is that LADOT has been vague regarding exactly what they’re doing with that data.
The ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) quickly stepped in, seeking to get to the bottom of the issue. “[LADOT] has failed to adopt clearly articulated policies regarding how it will use the data, how long it will retain the data, when it will delete the data, and the conditions on which it share data with third parties,” wrote the EFF in a fiery April letter. “LADOT must start taking seriously the privacy of Los Angeles residents.” And since the city has refused to fully comply, Uber decided to take legal action. As the city sees it, they must maintain the right to manage public transportation and ensure equality of access for all citizens. They’re framing Uber as the villain in this scenario, and Uber won’t take it lightly. The battle is now in full swing.
Facebook settles UK data Cambridge Analytica fine
After a heated investigation, Facebook reached a settlement this week with the ICO, which is the main data protection enforce in the U.K. Facebook will pay about $643K in damages for their culpability in the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal. The social network had previously appealed the penalty in an effort to fight it, but that appeal has been formally dropped in favor of a quick settlement. Fortunately for Facebook, the fine would’ve been much worse under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but the case in question predates the passage of the EU’s sweeping data privacy law. The key caveat in the whole ordeal being, interestingly enough, that Facebook has not formally admitted liability in the case. It’s seems fairly obvious that both Facebook and the ICO opted to reach an agreement and put the issue to bed in favor of moving forward with other pressing matters. Facebook has a fresh array of issues on their plate which need addressing, and the ICO has plenty of other fish to fry.

Australia sues Google over alleged misuse of location data
It’s a big week for legal disputes, as yet another data-related case came to light. Australia has filed a lawsuit against Google over what they see as a blatant abuse of location data. More specifically, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) believes that Google misled consumers regarding how they used personal location data. The case posits that many messages sent out to Android phones indicated that Google had stopped collected location data in specific instances where that claim was found to be false. “We are taking court action against Google because we allege that as a result of these on-screen representations, Google has collected, kept and used highly sensitive and valuable personal information about consumers’ location without them making an informed choice,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said. They’re seeking to impose penalties for these potential missteps.

Google purchases Fitbit — and all of their user data
Fitbit, the wildly-popular fitness watch company, agreed on Friday to be acquired by Google for $2.1 billion. The move is a major win for Google for one obvious reason: their own wearable devices aren’t flying off the shelves in numbers anywhere close to competitors like Fitbit and Apple Watch. But another highly valuable element is at play as well: the massive trove of user data that Fitbit users provide on a daily basis. The “digitalization” of health and wellness data via wearables has exploded over the past couple years, as tech companies now have more access than ever. Google has already outright claimed that this data won’t be used for ad targeting, but it will certainly be used for other purposes. In turn, this high-profile acquisition will attract the probing eyes of regulators far and wide. Google will have to be very tactful and progressive in how they navigate this new deal.
What do you think was the most important data story of the week? Leave us a comment below.
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