On February 21st, the California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta announced a settlement with DoorDash for violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) relating to its participation in a marketing co-operative.  This action represents only the second public enforcement action since the CCPA went into effect

On November 16th, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) and Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced new independent initiatives regarding the use and implications of AI technologies on consumers in the context of telephone and voice communications. Learn more about these initiatives on our sister blog, the Consumer Finance Monitor.

The Colorado Department of Law (“DoL”) has published a shortlist of potential universal opt-out mechanisms (“UOOMs”).  Beginning on July 1, 2024, companies will be required to allow consumers to opt out of the sale of their personal data or use of their personal data for targeted advertising using any UOOMs that are ultimately included in

On Friday, January 27, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an investigative sweep of businesses that provide mobile apps, issuing warning letters to those that AG Bonta alleges failed to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).  This sweep focused specifically on “popular retail, travel, and food service industry apps” that failed to comply

On August 24, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a $1.2 million settlement with Sephora over allegations that the cosmetic retailer had violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).  This first public enforcement action—and subsequent noncompliance letters the Attorney General sent to other retailers—clearly highlight the continued focus of regulators on online tracking practices and opt-out signals such

In this initial episode of Ballard Spahr’s new privacy and data security webcast series, Phil Yannella and Greg Szewczyk – co-chairs of the Privacy & Data Security Group – discuss regulatory scrutiny concerning the use of “dark patterns” to steer website visitors into purchasing products or making online choices they otherwise would not make.

Have you ever looked at a product online and realized it was following you around the internet? Have you ever visited a different website and seen the item you were just thinking about purchasing? These friendly reminders are due to cookies–small text files stored on your browser when you visit or interact with a website or advertisement.
Continue Reading  CCPA’s Uncertain Effect on Digital Advertising

The perplexing question of what U.S. companies must do to comply with EU “cookie” law became slightly more clear with the recent decision of the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in Planet49 GmbH, but numerous questions still remain. A main source of confusion about cookies is the interplay between two EU privacy laws, the

On September 13, 2019—the last day of the legislative session—California lawmakers approved five amendments intended to clarify the scope of the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”), but rejected several industry-backed proposals that would have exempted personal information used for targeted advertising and loyalty programs.

Five amendments passed:  AB 25, 874, 1146, 1355, and 1564. 

The online world is increasingly shaped by forces beyond our control.  Algorithmic processing agents are used by a wide range of web publishers, online retailers and social media companies to determine the kinds of stories that are feature to online readers, the advertisements that are targeted to online shoppers, and the search results they see,