Canada: Tim Hortons Proposes Free Coffee And Doughnut For Customers It Spied On

Washington Examiner:

Tim Hortons proposed a settlement to make up for spying on its consumers.

The Canadian coffee and doughnut chain proposed giving its customers a free cup of coffee and pastry to settle four class-action lawsuits. The Tim Hortons app is accused of tracking users’ location data without their permission for more than a year, for which it is currently being investigated by the Canadian government.

“We’re pleased to have reached a proposed settlement, subject to Court approval, in the four class action lawsuits in Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario involving the Tim Hortons app. As part of the proposed settlement agreement, eligible app users will receive a free hot beverage and a free baked good,” Tim Hortons told Motherboard. “All parties agree this is a fair settlement, and we look forward to the Superior Court of Quebec’s decision on the proposal. We are confident that pending the Quebec court’s approval of the settlement, the courts in British Columbia and Ontario will recognize the settlement.”

At least one email has been sent to users announcing the proposed settlement, according to screenshots on Twitter.

The details of the settlement are to be released, according to the email. The users will receive a free hot beverage with a retail value of 6.19 Canadian dollars, and a pastry valued at 2.39 Canadian dollars.

Canadian privacy officials announced in June that Tim Hortons had violated the country’s privacy laws. “Our joint investigation tells yet another troubling story of a company that failed to ensure proper design of an intrusive technology, resulting in a mass invasion of Canadians’ privacy,” Canadian Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien said at a Wednesday press conference. “It also highlights the very real risks related to location data and the tracking of individuals.” more here