A federal judge has refused to bring back a class action lawsuit that alleged four car manufacturers had violated Washington state\u2019s privacy laws by using vehicles\u2019 on-board infotainment systems to record customers\u2019 text messages and mobile phone call logs.<\/p>\n
The judge ruled that the practice doesn’t meet the threshold for an illegal privacy violation under state law. The plaintiffs had appealed<\/a> a prior judge\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n Car manufacturers Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, and General Motors were facing five related privacy class action suits. One of those cases, against Ford, had been dismissed on appeal previously.<\/p>\n Infotainment systems in the company\u2019s vehicles began downloading and storing a copy of all text messages on smartphones when they were connected to the system. Once messages have been downloaded, the software makes it impossible for vehicle owners to access their communications and call logs but does provide law enforcement with access, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n The Seattle-based appellate judge ruled that the interception and recording of mobile phone activity did not meet the Washington Privacy Act\u2019s (WPA) standard that a plaintiff must prove that \u201chis or her business, his or her person, or his or her reputation\u201d has been threatened.<\/p>\n