Bose Slapped With Lawsuit Claiming Your Headphones Spied On You

It looks like Bose is heading to court, as a new class action lawsuit has been filed against it. The suit centers around a companion app Bose offers for its wireless headphones, called Bose Connect. That app is used to connect Bose wireless products to smart devices, and it can also be used to remotely control those devices.

The lawsuit, which was filed by Kyle Zak in a US district court in Illinois, alleges that Bose has more sinister uses for Bose Connect, however. It claims that Bose Connect collects listening data on users, including the titles of the tracks that they're listening to. That data, along with "other personal identifiers" is then sent to third-party data miners without consent from Bose's users.

This is problematic, the lawsuit points out, but not only because the data is being collected without customer knowledge. The lawsuit mentions "numerous scientific studies" which show that a person's listening behavior can be used to build a fairly comprehensive profile on them. The worry is that these data miners can infer things like "age, personality, and values," from what Bose's users choose to listen to.

Ultimately, the lawsuit is looking for three things. It moves for an injunction against Bose to stop it from collecting data on its users, "actual and statutory damages arising from the invasion of their privacy," and the return of the purchase price of these wireless devices.

So, some fairly damning accusations are coming Bose's way today. We'll see if this whole thing ends up playing out in court or if Bose settles it before it goes before a judge. For now though, you can find the full lawsuit embedded above.