As smartphones and other mobile devices proliferate, user information is also expanding rapidly as is the potential for its misuse. It all makes the risk of class-action litigation against anyone who collects personal details especially "palpable," Patrick Flaherty said during a presentation on the potential of customer data at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto. Class-action lawyers see a rich opportunity due to the large number of possible plaintiffs, he said, plus a growing body of law in the United States where mass-breach cases are proceeding and yielding huge damage awards offers further encouragement to the Canadian plaintiff bar.