National Basketball Association

Golden State Warriors' app at the center of a lawsuit

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Golden State Warriors’ official mobile app is at the center of a lawsuit because it utilized a smartphone’s microphone to listen in on consumers.

Over the last few years, the Golden State Warriors have been able to give fans exactly what they want. A new look, a great team, an MVP, big free agency signings, records, a championship, and overall fun. They’ve made nearly every right move and maybe it’s because they actually heard the fans.

Months after the Warriors found themselves minutes away from capping off the greatest season of all-time with their second consecutive championship, the organization now finds itself in the middle of a lawsuit. The complaint was filed in San Francisco federal court on August 29. The lawsuit is centered around their app and potential invasions of privacy and illegal recording. They along with tech developer Signal360 and app developer Yinzcam are all named as defendants.

The Warriors’ official app utilizes beaconing technology designed by Signal360, a company that specializes in developing “proximity-related products.” The beaconing technology integrated into the app attempts to track the users’ location in an effort to provide relevant content. The complaint alleges:

With the Microphone activated, the App listens to and records all audio within range—including consumer conversations. If the App “hears” one of Signal360’s beacons it may display an ad to the consumer or simply send that information to Signal360.

The lawsuit–filed on behalf of Latisha Satchell, a New York state resident–says that the app turns the microphone on a smartphone even if the app isn’t being used. When installing the application, it prompts the user to give permission for it to have access to certain parts of the phone. The complaint claims that the “microphone” portion of the permissions list is vague and does not explicitly tell the user that it will be accessed to listen in on users.

According to Arstechnica.com, the Warriors and the two other defendants could be in the clear once all the facts arise. Dan Goodwin wrote that:

With the complaint just days old, it’s too early to know what the central facts of the case will be. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising for a key issue to be whether it’s accurate to say the app “records” and “listens in to” conversations as alleged. With as many as 1 million people using the app, it seems likely that most or all of the audio is processed locally without ever leaving the user’s phone. If that’s the case, the behavior may not meet the legal definitions needed to prove it violated the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

In today’s world, it’s important that users maintain their privacy and control over their information. The Warriors have proven to be one of the best organizations in professional sports. It’s important to wait for the case to play itself out fully, but regardless, this isn’t a good look.