Austrian privacy advocacy group NOYB has filed three complaints against popular mobile apps Fnac, SeLoger, and the Under Armour-owned MyFitnessPal in France. NOYB claims the apps illegally access and share personal data with third parties without user consent or the option to prevent data sharing.
The apps use this data for sophisticated analytics and targeted advertising, which NOYB stresses is unlawful under Article 5(3) of the Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications, Article 82 of the French Data Protection Act, and Articles 5(1) (a), 6(1)(a) and 25(1) and (2) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The apps collect a considerable amount of data, including Google's unique Advertising ID and local IP addresses, enabling advertisers to single out users and target them in the future. While the complainant has filed the three complaints in France, the issue is symptomatic of a wider problem in the mobile app environment.
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