A consultation with a lawyer will tell you what, if anything a lawyer will do for you. Pressure consisting of implied loss of opportunity is probably enough.

Alternately, you might not have a case, and a consultation will tell you that too.

When asking about laws, it is essential to say where you live. Different places have different laws. After a look through your recent posts, it appears you live in Ohio. These practices probably violate specific laws in Ohio.

One of them is ORC 2903.216 (B) (1), which prohibits causing a tracking device or application to monitor a person’s movement without their consent.

The other is ORC 1345.02 (A), which prohibits unfair or deceptive trade practices. It’s a bit more open to interpretation, but something makes me think a judge would not be amused.

Anyway, I’m not a lawyer, and it sounds like you need one. It’s not rare that lawyers offer free consultations to determine if you have a real case.

Some people have privacy expectations that are not realistic in an unencrypted, federated, heterogeneous environment run by hobbyist volunteers in their spare time.

It you have something private and sensitive to share with a small audience, make a group chat on Signal. Don’t invite any reporters.