Connecticut and 31 other states have settled with technology company Lenovo Inc. to resolve allegations the company violated consumer protection laws by pre-installing faulty software vulnerable to hackers on laptop computers, authorities said Tuesday.
In Aug. 2014, North Carolina-based Lenovo began selling certain laptop computers that contained preinstalled ad software called VisualDiscovery, which was created by the company Superfish Inc. The states alleged that Visual Discovery created a security vulnerability that made consumers’ information susceptible to hackers in certain situations.
Attorney General George Jepsen and state Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said Lenovo said the software compromised consumer privacy and failed to make adequate disclosures to consumers that their personal information was being collected and transmitted to a third party.
Connecticut led the investigation along with California, Illinois and Pennsylvania. In coordination with the Federal Trade Commission, the settlement includes $286,145 for Connecticut, which will be deposited into the state’s General Fund.
The settlement also requires Lenovo to change its consumer disclosures about preinstalled advertising software, to require a consumer’s affirmative consent to using the software on their device and to provide a means for consumers to opt-out, disable or remove the software.
The settlement is not final until it is approved by Hartford Superior Court, where the complaint was filed, Jepsen said.
