Amazon Lawsuit: Company Accused of Secretly Tracking Users' Location Data

Case Overview: A new class action lawsuit claims Amazon secretly collected and sold users' location data without their knowledge, violating privacy laws.

Consumers Affected: Consumers who downloaded and used apps containing Amazon's Ads SDK.

Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Tech giant Amazon surreptitiously collects and sells users’ precise location data without their consent, a new lawsuit alleges. Filed by a California resident, the lawsuit claims that Amazon’s data collection practices expose sensitive details about users’ daily lives, including where they live, work, and worship—violating privacy laws and consumer trust.

Amazon Accused of Secretly Tracking Users' Location Data

Felix Kolotinsky, who filed the proposed class action lawsuit, downloaded and used the Speedtest by Ookla app on his Android phone, he explains in the lawsuit. Unbeknownst to him, the app contained Amazon’s Ads SDK, a software development kit that allowed Amazon to extract and store his precise geolocation data. Kolotinsky had enabled location services only to allow Speedtest to function, never realizing that Amazon was also tracking his movements.

According to the lawsuit, Amazon collected timestamped location data, unique device identifiers, and other digital fingerprinting details without Kolotinsky’s knowledge or consent. At no point did the company or the app disclose that Amazon’s tracking software was embedded, nor did it offer an option to opt out of the data collection. 

Kolotinsky claims that this unauthorized tracking violated his privacy and potentially exposed him to profiling based on his movements.

Lawsuit Alleges Amazon Collected Data Without Consent

Amazon’s ability to collect and monetize user data stems from its Amazon Ads SDK, which is embedded in tens of thousands of third-party apps, the lawsuit explains. SDKs are pre-written pieces of code that developers use to enhance app functionality. 

However, Amazon’s SDK serves another purpose: creating a hidden data pipeline that funnels user information—especially location data—directly to Amazon and its advertising partners.

The lawsuit alleges that Amazon collects precise latitude and longitude coordinates, timestamped geolocation data, and device fingerprinting details from millions of unsuspecting users. This data can reveal sensitive aspects of a person’s life, such as medical visits, religious practices, and even shelter stays for domestic violence survivors or homeless individuals.

Compounding the issue, Amazon reportedly ensures that this data is not anonymized, allowing it to build detailed consumer profiles. Research has shown that even a few geolocation data points can be used to identify individuals with high accuracy, the lawsuit states. The lawsuit argues that Amazon’s tracking practices go far beyond simple advertising and instead create a system of mass surveillance.

Amazon Faces Other Legal Challenges Over Privacy and Business Practices

This latest lawsuit is just one of many legal challenges Amazon faces over its business practices. The company is currently battling accusations that it restricts workers’ post-employment opportunities and fails to provide transparent wage information under Washington state law.

Amazon is also dealing with a class action lawsuit alleging it misled customers by artificially inflating list prices on Fire TV products to create the illusion of deep discounts. In June, the company was fined nearly $6 million by California regulators for imposing excessive productivity quotas on warehouse employees. Additionally, former workers in Santa Clara County have accused Amazon of violating labor laws by failing to pay out earned vacation and paid time off after they left the company.

In his lawsuit, Kolotinsky wants to represent other California residents who downloaded and used an app on their mobile device with the Amazon Ads SDK embedded into the app and that did not publicly disclose “Amazon Ads” in any of the app’s notices or disclosures. He is suing for violations of California business laws and is seeking injunctive relief, damages, fees, costs, and interest.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Kolotinsky v. Amazon.Com, Inc.
• Case Number: 3:25-cv-00931
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Rafey Balabanian, Jared Lucky, and Schuyler Ufkes (Edelson PC)

Have you used any apps that might collect location data? What are your thoughts on this lawsuit? Share your opinion in the comments below.