Tim Hortons Offers Canadian Customers a Free Coffee and Pastry After Spying on Them Via App

The Canadian coffee, donut, and fast food chain Tim Hortons was recently accused of using its mobile app to collect “vast amounts of sensitive location data” in violation of Canadian privacy laws resulting in a class action lawsuit — which the company has offered to settle by giving those affected a free coffee and baked good worth less than $9.

The Verge reports that Tim Hortons, the popular Canadian fast food chain, was recently accused of collecting “vast amounts of sensitive location data” in violation of Canadian privacy laws. This resulted in multiple class action lawsuits, in which the company claims to have reached a proposed settlement.

(AFP)

To apologize for tracking users, recording their movements “every few minutes,” and collecting user data without permission, the company is offering affected users a free hot beverage and baked good worth less than $9 CAD.

Customers received emails detailing the proposed settlement on Friday. “You are receiving this email in connection with a proposed settlement, subject to Court approval, of a national class action lawsuit involving the Tim Hortons app and the collection of geolocation data between April 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020,” the email reads. “As part of the proposed settlement agreement, eligible app users will receive a free hot beverage and a free baked good.”

Along with the free coffee and snack, Tim Hortons has also promised to permanently delete all geolocation about group members. However, the restaurant chain told Global News that the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing and that the allegations have not been proven in a court of law.

Canada’s privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien commented on the company’s user tracking stating: “Tim Hortons clearly crossed the line by amassing a huge amount of highly sensitive information about its customers. Following people’s movements every few minutes of every day was clearly an inappropriate form of surveillance.”

A Tim Horton spokesperson told Vice:

We’re pleased to have reached a proposed settlement, subject to Court approval, in the four class action lawsuits in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario involving the Tim Hortons app. As part of the proposed settlement agreement, eligible app users will receive a free hot beverage and a free baked good.

All parties agree this is a fair settlement and we look forward to the Superior Court of Quebec’s decision on the proposal. We are confident that pending the Quebec court’s approval of the settlement, the courts in British Columbia and Ontario will recognize the settlement.

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