Skip to main content

LoJack for Laptops maker settles privacy suit

LoJack for Laptops
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Vancouver-based Absolute Software has reached a settlement with an Ohio woman who alleges the company violated privacy laws by sharing sexually-explicit images and messaging from her stolen laptop with police, according to the CBC. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, and lawyers involved in the case have repeatedly stated they cannot discuss the terms of the deal.

The plaintiff is also suing the Springfield, Ohio, police.

Recommended Videos

Absolute Software makes LoJack for Laptops, an embedded security product that attempts to track computers via the Internet once they are reported stolen. Back in 2008, the Ohio woman bought the laptop from a ninth-grade student, having no idea it had previously been stolen from another student at an Ohio vocational school. Absolute Software located the notebook, and shared details of its activity with police—including webcam images and instant messages. Police went to the plaintiff’s house, showed her copies of the sexually-explicit images, and arrested her for receiving stolen property, although the charges were quickly dropped.

The plaintiff and her boyfriend filed suit over the incident in 2009. Last week, U.S. District Judge Walter Rice cleared the way for the lawsuit to go to trial, ruling “A reasonable jury could find that they [Absolute Software] crossed an impermissible boundary when they intercepted plaintiffs’ instant messages and webcam communications.”

Security firms trying to track down stolen mobile devices often attempt to snap pictures of users with an integrated webcam in an effort to identify culprits.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
This gaming PC with RTX 4070 is on sale for less than $1,000
The iBuyPower Y40 gaming PC with a keyboard and mouse.

A budget of $1,000 usually isn't enough for a fantastic gaming machine, but Walmart is making it happen with this offer for the iBuyPower Y40. The gaming desktop, which is powered by the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, is currently available for only $999, following a $601 discount on its sticker price of $1,600. This is one of the most attractive gaming PC deals that we've found in recent memory, even with Black Friday less than a month behind us, so you're going to want to take advantage of it before the stock is sold out.

Why you should buy the iBuyPower Y40 gaming PC
The iBuyPower Y40 gaming PC is packed with components that will let you play the best PC games without any issues. In addition to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, it's equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 processor and 16GB of RAM, which is the best place to start for a gaming desktop according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. The gaming PC also comes with a liquid-cooling system, so it won't suffer from overheating if your gaming sessions last for several hours at a time.

Read more
Upgrade to this Samsung OLED gaming monitor while it’s $300 off
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor on a white background.

Upgrading your rig with gaming PC deals won't matter if you're still using an old screen. If budget permits, we highly recommend investing in a top-of-the-line display, such as the 27-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G6. Originally $900, this gaming monitor is down to $650 from B&H Photo Video, for savings of $250. You can also clip a $50 coupon to drop it down to $600. You're going to want to hurry in completing this transaction though, as we're not sure how long stocks will last. Before more gamers discover and take advantage of this offer, push through with your purchase right now.

Why you should buy the 27-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor
Samsung's Odyssey line is a fixture in our roundup of the best gaming monitors, which currently includes the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 and Samsung Odyssey OLED G9. The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6, however, is also an excellent option for gamers. It all begins with Samsung's OLED technology, bringing it from OLED TVs to this gaming monitor for stunning visuals while you play the best PC games. The 27-inch screen also offers a 360 Hz refresh rate and 0.03 ms response time, eliminating lag and motion blur for a completely immersive experience, and 2560 x 1440 resolution for lifelike details and colors.

Read more
Windows 11 to finally address this webcam deficiency
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x front view showing webcam.

The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build (26120.2702) was released a couple of days ago and it adds a new camera feature that probably should have been added ages ago. Once the build rolls out to all Windows 11 PCs, you'll be able to let multiple apps use your camera at the same time.

Microsoft says the reason it developed this feature is to "enable video streaming to both a sign language interpreter and the end audience at the same time" but users will surely find a range of uses for it.

Read more