People Search Engine Spokeo Hit By Class Action Lawsuit
By Anna Johnson on July 21st, 2010Spokeo, a ‘people search engine’ that brokers contact and other information about Americans, has been hit by a class action lawsuit. The suit alleges that Spokeo is publishing false and misleading personal information about millions of Americans without their notice or consent.
Spokeo aggregates data about people based on publicly available data acquired from (according to Spokeo):
“hundreds of online and offline sources, including but not limited to: phone directories, social networks, marketing surveys, mailing lists, government census, real estate listings, and business websites.”
Spokeo makes basic information available online for free, whilst charging for more detailed and personal information. The lawsuit alleges that Spokeo’s aggregation and publication of this data violates the U.S. Fair Credit and Reporting Act (FCRA).
Brought by Tom Robins of the greater Washington, D.C. area, the class action lawsuit alleges that Spokeo published largely inaccurate and false information about Tom and marketed this information to employers at a time when he was looking for a job.
While Spokeo positioning itself as a people-based ‘search engine’, the suit further alleges that Spokeo is really a consumer reporting agency that should be subject to the same rules and regulations as traditional U.S. consumer reporting agencies.
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in the Central District of California yesterday, seeks injunctive relief and monetary damages for violating the FCRA.
