US judge dismisses Apple consumer lawsuit over data privacy

US District Judge Lucy H. Koh has dismissed a consumer lawsuit over data privacy against Apple, saying the plaintiffs had failed to show they had relied on any alleged company misrepresentations and that they had suffered harm.

The four plaintiffs claimed in 2011 that Apple had violated its privacy policy, saying the iPhone maker had designed its iOS environment to easily transmit personal information to third parties that collect and analyze such data without user consent or detection. They also claimed that they suffered damages by paying too much money for their iPhones and by losing storage space, among other things, according to court documents. Judge Koh dismissed the case. "Plaintiffs must be able to provide some evidence that they saw one or more of Apple's alleged misrepresentations, that they actually relied on those misrepresentations, and that they were harmed thereby," Judge Koh said in the November 25, 2013 ruling.

(Nov 27)