Spanish soccer league La Liga has been fined 250,000 euros by local data protection agency AEPD. The penalty comes after La Liga deployed a controversial feature in its Android app which activated device microphone and location services in an effort to identify establishments airing matches without a license.
With millions of fans around the globe, Spain’s La Liga soccer league is one of the most popular in the game. To allow fans to keep up with all the latest news, La Liga offers an Android app with a number of features including schedules, kick-off times, and the all-important results. Controversially, however, the app also has a surprising trick up its sleeve. After gaining consent from users, La Liga’s software turns fans’ phones into spying devices which are able to analyze their surroundings using the microphone, listening out for unauthorized broadcasts in bars and restaurants, for example. This audio, collected Shazam-style, is then paired with phone GPS data to pinpoint establishments airing matches without a license.
