Computer 'maniac' to sue Apple over phone privacy

Published on 15/07/2011 19:56

A SOUTH Korean lawyer who is an avid user of the iPhone is waging a legal privacy battle against Apple Computer over the device's tracking capabilities.

Kim Hyeong-seok said he has persuaded at least 17,000 people in South Korea to join him in a class-action lawsuit he plans to file against the company in a court in Seoul next month.

The 36-year-old international trade and business lawyer has already received one million won (585) from Apple's Korean unit following a lawsuit he took to a regional South Korean court in April.

His complaint was that the iPhone's tracking of users' locations violated South Korea's constitutional right to privacy and also caused him "mental stress".

However, that has not stopped Kim from continuing to use his iPhone 4 and an iPad tablet computer.

"I like Apple," Kim said from his office in the city of Changwon, about 240 miles south-east of Seoul.

In fact, Kim claims he is afflicted with what he calls "Apple mania".

However, he adds he will pursue the case because he considers his legal fight a matter of "right or wrong".

Kim said his suit will seek one million won in damages for each participant.

He began his legal fight in April after reading that iPhones could store data which could potentially be used to track the movements of users.

Apple has said that iPhones were storing the locations of nearby mobile phone towers and wireless hot pots for up to a year.

Such data can be used to create a rough map of the device owner's movements, which has angered some.

A spokesman for Apple in Seoul declined to comment.