# What ARE the privacy rights of a consumer?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-privacy-rights-of-a-consumer/784835>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 20, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-privacy-rights-of-a-consumer/784835 "2017-04-20T12:57:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-privacy-rights-of-a-consumer/784835/1 "2017-04-20T12:57:04Z")

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[Someone is suing Bose](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bose-lawsuit-idUSKBN17L2BT), claiming an app that gets used with their wireless headphones tracks user’s choices of music, and “violates their privacy rights by selling that information without permission.”

So what exactly _are_ a consumer’s rights with regard to privacy when using mass-produced consumer products? Does a business have a legal obligation to obtain my permission before collecting/selling information about how I use their product?