Myspace gets sued over privacy breach

SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICE Myspace has been sued for handing out user data without consent.

A complaint was filed by two New York law firms, Milberg LLP and Reese Richman LLP, over News Corp owned Myspace giving user data to aggregators that link names with Internet browsing history.

The alleged acts are in direct violation of Myspace terms and conditions, which state that access to personal data can be restricted by privacy conscious members.

"Myspace knowingly serves as and profits handsomely from being a conduit through which details of the most intimate aspects of its members' lives, as reflected in their Internet browsing history and otherwise, are transmitted to data aggregators, who package the information into profiles and sell it like any other commodity to advertisers," the lawsuit said, according to Bloomberg.

The law firms want the case certified as a class action that will be considered to have impacted a large number of individuals, who will be represented collectively in court. The complaint also requested unspecified damages.

Myspace has been losing users for years as rival Facebook gains more support. News Corp's most recent efforts have proven disastrous, with a website redesign and refocus leading to a drop in web traffic of 29 per cent, according to Comscore.

News Corp is rumoured to be in discussions with Vevo.com, which is partly owned by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, about selling the Myspace social notworking operation. µ