Apple pays S.Korean user compensation over iPhone tracking: court

SEOUL, July 14 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Apple Inc's Korean unit has paid compensation to a user of its popular iPhone after collecting location data without consent, lawyers and court officials said, the first payout by the US company over these complaints.

In May, Apple Korea was ordered by the court to pay 1 million won ($946) in compensation to Kim Hyung-suk, a lawyer, two officials at Changwon District Court told Reuters on Thursday. They declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Kim's law firm, Mirae Law, said Apple made payment last month. Steve Park, a spokesman for Apple Korea declined to comment.

Mirae Law said it was now preparing a class action lawsuit against Apple for the unauthorised data collection. A website for class action sign-up has been set up but was paralyzed due to heavy traffic. (www.sueapple.co.kr)

Apple released a software update in May to fix a problem that enabled its mobile devices to collect and store customers' location data. The revelation that Apple's iPhone collected data and stored it for up to a year has prompted renewed scrutiny of the nexus between location and privacy.

US lawmakers have accused the technology industry of exploiting location data for marketing purposes - a potentially multibillion-dollar industry -- without getting proper consent from phone users.

Two separate U.S. groups of iPhone and iPad users have sued Apple, alleging that certain software applications were passing personal user information to third-party advertisers without consent.

Google Inc's Seoul office was raided in May on suspicion its mobile advertising unit AdMob had illegally collected location data without consent, in the latest setback to the Internet search firm's Korean operations.

Executives of both Apple and Google have said they did not abuse the information.

Any class action may further pressure Apple in the home market of its key rival Samsung Electronics.

Samsung's flagship Galaxy S smartphone has emerged as a major competitor to the iPhone.

The iPhone is sold by top mobile carrier SK Telecom and second-ranked KT Corp in South Korea. KT, the major seller of the iPhone, said its iPhone subscribers reach more than 2.7 million, while SK Telecom declined to provide any details.

Apple sold a record 18.65 million units of its blockbuster iPhone globally in the March quarter.

($1 = 1056.800 Korean Won)

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Court accepts BNP case against cops

Dhaka, July 10 (bdnews24.com)?A Dhaka court has accepted the attempt to murder case against 30 policemen for the 'attack' on opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque during the hartal hours on July 6.

A B M Ashrafuddin Nizan, a BNP MP, filed the case with the Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on Sunday morning against additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Harun-or-Rashid, Mohammadpur zone assistant commissioner Biplob Sarker and 28 others of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Nizan's counsel Joynal Abedin Mejbah told bdnews24.com.

Magistrate M A K Azad took the case into cognisance after hearing.

He also ordered the DMP commissioner to look into the matter and submit a report on its progress by August 10.

A government-formed three-member police team, headed by an additional inspector general, has already started investigation into the matter.

The opposition chief whip, currently being treated at United Hospital, came under 'police attack' when he was leading a procession of some 25 opposition MPs from Farmgate to the parliament building on the first day of the BNP-led alliance's 48-hour hartal that began at 6am on July 6.

Police filed a case against Farroque, Syeda Asifa Ashrafee Papiya MP and some 10 other unnamed people the same night, but "declined" the following day to let the BNP sue two of their senior colleagues on charge of assaulting Farroque.

When Nizan went to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station he was told that police themselves had filed a case over the incident and investigation was ongoing.

Witnesses said Farroque had fiercely argued with ADC Harun at the time and the two swore at each other. A scuffle followed and the MP was beaten and kicked by the law-enforcers.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday regretted the 'accident' and told parliament that she was keeping a tab on his condition.

She, however, went on to add, "None expects a parliamentarian to pelt brickbats at vehicles or assault police. People expect amicable and polite behaviour from an MP."

Home minister Shahara Khatun, described the injury as 'unexpected and sad', but said "any kind of demonstration around the parliament complex during its session is banned".

ADC Harun told reporters that Farroque did not stop the procession despite his call and rather, with party activists, threw brickbats at buses on the Manik Mia Avenue.

He also claimed that the opposition chief whip hurled abuses at police.

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SCBA says mobile court punishment unlawful

Dhaka, June 20 (bdnews24.com)?The president of the opposition-controlled Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has said executive magistrates punishing opposition supporters in political programmes through mobile courts is unlawful.

Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, a pro-BNP lawyer, on Monday at a press briefing said that such move was a threat to the independence of judiciary.

Magistrates before and during the BNP shutdown on June 12 and 13 summarily sentenced over 100 opposition supporters to jail and penalised many others.

BNP acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on the second day of the 36-hour countrywide lockdown vowed to challenge such mobile courts in court. He also expressed the party's stand to face the issue politically.

He alleged the punishments were given under the tobacco and anti-drug law of 1952.

Two executive magistrates on that day claimed that they were handing down punishments under sections 353 and 186 of the 2009 Bangladesh Penal Code for mobile courts. The sections provide for action against obstruction in government duty.

Home minister Shahara Khatun the same day said legal action had been taken against those creating anarchy.

"Mobile courts are working in line with the law, even the ministers don't have the right to speak about or against the court."

Human-rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra expressed concern over the operations of such mobile courts, saying those might affect general people like in the past.

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Ball is now in govt's court: Fakhrul

Dhaka, June 18 (bdnews24.com) ? Now it is the government turn to come up with the caretaker issue, says BNP, a day after the ruling party's offer to sit with the main opposition to discuss it.

"Our leader has made our party stance clear. Now the ball is in their [govt] court," BNP acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters at its Naya Paltan headquarters on Saturday.

The opposition chief on Thursday said her party would have no discussion with the government on the caretaker government issue.

"The provision for holding national elections under caretaker government must be retained. No new formula is required. There's no scope for discussion either," Khaleda Zia said.

Later, on Friday, Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said his party did not want to take decisions unilaterally. "We'll wait until the end."

"We're hopeful that [BNP chairperson] Khaleda Zia will discuss the issue. We're ready to discuss it anywhere in or outside parliament," he said.

Fakhrul also declared a three-day agitation programme from the press briefing against the government move.
BNP did not join the formal talks with the special parliamentary committee on constitution amendment, which on June 8 submitted its report with 51 suggestions.

Fakhrul said, "I would like to say with due respect that Ashraf Saheb wants to hold elections under a political government. That's why they don't want talks [on the issue]."

"The government [forcibly] took the verdicts of the fifth and 13th amendments in their favour, disregarding public opinion," Fakhrul alleged in his written statement.

He also said the Fifth Amendment that restored the multiparty rule and people's belief and philosophy was annulled with an ill-motive.

"?now the government is ignoring everything and putting the country's sovereignty and multiparty system at stake," he added.

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