Suit alleges Bose secretly shared info with third parties

Grant Welker Bose Corp. headquarters in Framingham.

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By Laura Finaldi

An Illinois man has filed a lawsuit against Framingham-based Bose Corp., alleging the company secretly disclosed its customers’ music and audio selections to third parties, including a data mining company.

In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Northern District court of Illinois, Plaintiff Kyle Zak argues the electronics maker did not tell him that using its smartphone app would allow it to collect and share information on the music, podcasts, or radio he was listening to. Zak, who said he he never would have purchased his Bose wireless headphones had he known data would be collected, argues that the company’s conduct shows a disregard for privacy rights.

The smartphone app in question, Bose Connect, allows customers to pair several of the company’s wireless products to their smartphones using Bluetooth. Once connected, customers can use the app to do things like skip songs, rewind, share music, and configure settings for wireless products, according to the lawsuit.

In the suit, Zak asks the judge for unspecified damages arising from the invasion of privacy, a refund, disgorgement of profits, and an injunction stopping the company from collecting data in the same way in the future.

Bose did not immediately respond to a request for comment.