Amazon class action alleges Amazon Ads SDK collects customer data

Amazon Ads SDK class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Felix Kolotinsky filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon.
• Why: Kolotinsky alleges Amazon illegally tracked and sold consumers’ location data without their consent.
• Where: The Amazon class action was filed in a California federal court.

Amazon illegally tracked and sold consumers’ location data without their consent, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Felix Kolotinsky filed the class action complaint against Amazon.com Inc. and Amazon Advertising LLC on Jan. 29 in a California federal court, alleging violations of state privacy laws.

According to the lawsuit, Amazon surreptitiously tracked and sold California residents’ sensitive movements and locations.

Kolotinsky alleges Amazon developed and disseminated a software development kit called the Amazon Ads SDK that enables backdoor access to consumers’ devices and opens a direct data collection pipeline to Amazon and its advertising partners.

“On information and belief, tens of thousands of app developers have embedded Amazon’s Ads SDK into their mobile apps, allowing Amazon to siphon data from consumers,” the Amazon class action says.

Amazon collected data without consumers’ consent, class action alleges

The data Amazon collects, which allegedly includes timestamped geolocation data that reveals where a consumer lives and works and which locations they frequent, is incredibly sensitive, the lawsuit claims.

The collected location data also reveals sensitive information about each consumer, such as their religious affiliation, sexual orientation and medical conditions, the class action says.

“Neither plaintiff nor any member of the putative class has ever agreed to allow Amazon to collect or sell their sensitive data and there is no mechanism to opt out of Amazon’s data collection practices,” the Amazon lawsuit says.

Kolotinsky wants to represent anyone in California who downloaded and used an app on their mobile device with the Amazon Ads SDK embedded that did not publicly disclose “Amazon Ads” in any of the app’s notices or disclosures.

He is suing for violations of California privacy laws and seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Meanwhile, a Washington federal judge recently dismissed a class action claiming Amazon used a biased algorithm for its Buy Box feature to boost its profits and keep prices high for consumers. 

What do you think of the allegations in this Amazon class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Rafey Balabanian and Jared Lucky of Edelson PC.

The Amazon class action lawsuit is Felix Kolotinsky v. Amazon.com Inc., et al., Case No. 3:25-cv-00931, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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