Lenovo sued. It’s about spying and sending data to China

Almeida Law Group, a law firm specializing in class action lawsuits, has sued Lenovo over the transfer of large amounts of user data to China. According to the court complaint, the manufacturer’s actions violate U.S. Department of Justice rules designed to prevent the transfer of sensitive information to so-called “countries of concern”. The Chinese giant denies the allegations.

According to American lawyers, the lawsuit covers not only general data needed to offer basic functionalities, but also detailed behavioral profiles containing information about the location, interests, habits and other characteristics of users.

The injured party in the case is Spencer Christy of San Francisco and “everyone else similarly positioned”which means potentially millions of American consumers. The lawsuit claims that Lenovo automatically associates browsing activity with a user’s identity through its advertising infrastructure and transmits that information to China. Such actions are not only a violation of privacy, but also a serious threat to national security, increasing the risk of blackmail.

Suggestions that Lenovo improperly shares customer data are false. We take data privacy and security seriously and comply with all applicable data protection laws around the world, including strict requirements in the US. Our data practices are transparent, compliant and designed to protect our customers.

Lenovo as a corporation has a specific status on the American legal scene. parent company, Lenovo Group Limited is registered in Hong Kong, and the largest shareholder is the Chinese investment company Legend Holdings, associated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a state institution. The lawsuit states that such connections classify Lenovo both as an entity associated with a country of concern and as a so-called “covered person” within the meaning of American regulations.