Lenovo $8.3M Spyware Class Action Settlement Gets Initial OK

Lenovo Group Ltd. can move ahead with an $8.3 million settlement to end a class action that its ad software exposed customer laptops to performance, privacy, and security problems.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted initial approval of the settlement Nov. 21, four months after Lenovo and the consumer class filed with the court to end the spyware action. The SuperFish software, which Lenovo began installing in 2014, could access customer Social Security numbers, financial data, and sensitive heath information, the court said.

Lenovo’s issues highlight device-maker privacy and security concerns when trying to ...