2022 proved to be an historic year for privacy and data security. Connecticut and Utah joined the list of states that have now passed comprehensive data privacy laws, bringing the total to five (5) states. For the first time, federal privacy legislation advanced to a House Subcommittee, and though the American Data Privacy and Protection
As we discussed in a recent webcast, there has been a surge in litigation focused on companies’ use of Meta Pixel, which is tracking code that enables the sharing of user online activity with Facebook. Recent litigation has alleged that use of Meta Pixel with online videos violates the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA).
In the past several months, plaintiff’s lawyers have filed dozens of class action lawsuits under state wiretap laws, some of which provide for statutory damages of $5000 per occurrence or more. The lawsuits focus on the use of chatbots, “session replay” software, and tracking code embedded in websites. Plaintiffs contend these tools enable the
In a class action with potentially significant impact on data sharing disclosures that companies routinely provide in online privacy policies, the Third Circuit recently ruled that NaviStone, a third party marketing service, was not a “direct party” under the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act (WESCA) and thus was potentially subject to liquidated damages
The latest wrinkle in the ever-changing world of data privacy litigation is the recent surge in state wiretap claims. What began as a trickle over the summer of 2020 has grown into a clear wave as plaintiffs have filed dozens of lawsuits against prominent tech, eCommerce, entertainment, and retail companies under state wiretap laws. These lawsuits seek statutory damages for the alleged interception of consumers’ electronic communications through the defendant’s use of various website analytic tools. Insofar as the use of website analytics tools is ubiquitous on the internet, privacy litigators are carefully watching the progress of these state wiretap claims. If successful, state wiretap claims could become the next TCPA, threatening virtually every company with a sizable web presence in the U.S.
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