{"id":11331,"date":"2022-08-01T14:42:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T14:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/08\/01\/what-does-tim-hortons-think-your-data-is-worth-a-coffee-and-donut-apparently\/"},"modified":"2022-08-01T14:42:56","modified_gmt":"2022-08-01T14:42:56","slug":"what-does-tim-hortons-think-your-data-is-worth-a-coffee-and-donut-apparently","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/08\/01\/what-does-tim-hortons-think-your-data-is-worth-a-coffee-and-donut-apparently\/","title":{"rendered":"What does Tim Hortons think your data is worth? A coffee and donut, apparently"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/8\/1\/23286824\/tim-hortons-location-tracking-proposed-class-action-settlement-data-privacy-coffee-donut<\/a>
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Tim Hortons, the Canadian fast food chain accused of using its mobile app to collect \u201cvast amounts of sensitive location data<\/a>\u201d in violation of Canadian privacy laws, says it\u2019s reached a proposed settlement in the resulting class action lawsuits, Vice <\/em>reports<\/a>. To make up for tracking users, recording their movements \u201cevery few minutes\u201d even when the app was closed, the chain is proposing to give affected users\u2026 a free hot beverage and a free baked good worth a little under $9 CAD plus tax. <\/p>\n

Customers started receiving emails detailing the proposed settlement on Friday, and screenshots were posted to Twitter by James McLeod<\/a>. \u201cYou are receiving this email in connection with a proposed settlement, subject to Court approval, of a national class action lawsuit involving the Tim Hortons app and the collection of geolocation data between April 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020,\u201d the email reads. \u201cAs part of the proposed settlement agreement, eligible app users will receive a free hot beverage and a free baked good.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as offering the drink and snack (which hold a retail value of $6.19 CAD and $2.39 CAD plus taxes respectively), Tim Hortons has also committed to permanently deleting all geolocation about group members. Crucially, however, the restaurant chain tells Global News<\/em><\/a> that the proposed settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing, and that the allegations have not been proven in a court of law. <\/p>\n

The allegations surfaced in a report from the National Post<\/em><\/a>, when a reporter found that the app had tracked their location over 2,700 times in under five months. A subsequent investigation<\/a> by Canadian privacy watchdogs said that although the app asked for location tracking permission, it misled users into thinking they would only be tracked while using the app. Instead, they were allegedly tracked throughout their day, allowing Tim Hortons to infer where they lived, where they worked, and to analyze when they visited competing restaurants or major sporting venues. <\/p>\n