Can you join a class action suit if you use Equifax’s free identity theft protection?
Credit reporting agency Equifax’s July data breach leaked information on 143 million US-based people, almost half the country’s population. But if you want to be part of a class action lawsuit that was recently filed against the company, accepting its free identity protection service might make things harder. That’s because Equifax’s terms of service force users to settle complaints individually, using a common and widely criticized legal clause. This clause might not apply to the data breach, and Equifax might not intend to enforce it — but its broad ambiguity has legal experts worried.
When the leak was revealed yesterday, Equifax set up a page offering free enrollment in its TrustedID Premier monitoring service. The page asks people...