As settlement in class action lawsuits, Canadian coffee giant Tim Hortons will offer a free hot beverage and a baked good as an apology for tracking the location of users of its app. The app tracked users when they left or entered a Tim Hortons competitor such as Starbucks, their home or workplace, and more.
In June, regulators said that the data collection was in violation of the law.
“Tim Hortons clearly crossed the line by amassing a huge amount of highly sensitive information about its customers. Following people’s movements every few minutes of every day was clearly an inappropriate form of surveillance. This case once again highlights the harms that can result from poorly designed technologies as well as the need for strong privacy laws to protect the rights of Canadians”, Daniel Therrien, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, said at the time....