Tim Hortons app violated laws in collection of ‘vast amounts’ of location data (priv.gc.ca)

Article summary

A joint investigation by Canadian privacy authorities found that the Tim Hortons app violated privacy laws by collecting vast amounts of location data from users, even when the app was not in use. The app tracked users' movements and inferred their home and work locations, as well as their travel patterns. Tim Hortons agreed to implement recommendations to delete remaining location data and establish a privacy management program. The company had collected location data for a year after shelving plans to use it for targeted advertising.

Main themes

• privacy violations
• location data collection
• app tracking
• user consent
• data protection
• surveillance capitalism

What commenters say

• Some people install retail apps for rewards and discounts, despite potential privacy risks.
• Using a mobile website instead of an app can help protect user privacy.
• Many apps collect excessive data and compromise user privacy, often without a legitimate need.
• Some commenters believe that assuming all location-enabled apps collect excessive data is a practical approach to dealing with the issue.
• Others argue that it is possible to have privacy on the internet and that users should take steps to protect themselves, such as using alternative technologies like Tor.
• There is a trade-off between convenience and privacy when using apps, and some users are willing to accept this trade-off for benefits like discounts and rewards.
• The push for native apps over mobile websites may be driven by corporations' desire to collect personal data.
• Users can take steps to mitigate privacy risks, such as disabling location permissions or using apps with limited data collection.