Professional network LinkedIn Corp was sued by customers alleging it appropriated their identities for marketing the site to nonmembers without their consent by hacking into their external e-mail accounts and downloading contacts' addresses.
The customers, who aim to lead a group suit against the company, asked a federal judge in California to bar LinkedIn from repeating the alleged violations and to force it to return any revenue made by using their identities, according to a September 17 court filing.
"LinkedIn's own Web site contains hundreds of complaints regarding this practice," they said in the complaint, which also seeks unspecified damages.
Julie Inouye, a spokeswoman for Mountain View, California-based LinkedIn, didn't immediately return a voice-mail message seeking comment on the suit outside of regular business hours.
The customers, who aim to lead a group suit against the company, asked a federal judge in California to bar LinkedIn from repeating the alleged violations and to force it to return any revenue made by using their identities, according to a September 17 court filing.
"LinkedIn's own Web site contains hundreds of complaints regarding this practice," they said in the complaint, which also seeks unspecified damages.
Julie Inouye, a spokeswoman for Mountain View, California-based LinkedIn, didn't immediately return a voice-mail message seeking comment on the suit outside of regular business hours.