Google is sued for auto-installing Covid “spyware” on people’s phones

(by Didi Rankovic | Reclaim The Net) – A class action lawsuit has been filed against the US state of Massachusetts for what the plaintiffs claim is a case of covert mass surveillance carried out via “Covid spyware” installed on over one million phones.

The complaint asks for declaratory and injunctive relief (a bid to legally compel the defendants to fulfill their mandatory duties) and nominative damages, and was filed on November 14, 2022, by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) non-profit.

We obtained a copy of the complaint for you here.

It names the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and Commissioner Margret Cooke as the defendants.

The US District Court for the District of Massachusetts will consider the case.

The complaint consists of nine counts against the DPH, citing violations of Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights (protections against unlawful searches, and rights pertaining to criminal and civil legal proceedings). Moreover, the DPH/Google activities are said to have violated Articles X and XIV of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights.

According to the filing, the DPH teamed up with Google and proceeded to install spyware on more than one million phones in “auto-install” mode, without giving the users a chance to consent to this action, and even without informing them about it. Read Full Article >