This week HBO was hit with a class-action lawsuit. HBO allegedly shared members' viewing history with Meta platforms. The release of such information is in breach of a federal privacy rule.
This complaint was brought in federal court in New York by Bursor & Fisher, a class-action litigation firm. It was filed on behalf of two HBO Max customers by the law firm. Angel McDaniel and Constance Simon are the subscribers who allege their information was shared with Facebook. The platform is accused of providing client names to the social networking site, according to the lawsuit. These client lists appear to allow Facebook to link consumers' watching patterns to their individual Facebook profiles.
HBO reportedly never seeks approval from users to disclose their watching history from the OTT platform, according to the lawsuit. The Video Privacy Protection Act is violated as a result of this conduct. Before an occurrence in 1988, the act was approved. The crime entailed the theft of Robert Bork's rental history from a video shop, according to reports.
Various streaming providers have been the target of similar allegations brought under this legislation during the previous 10 years. The VPPA has resulted in claims against OTT platforms or streaming providers such as ESPN, Hulu, and AMC Networks. In 2015, a judge found in favour of the streaming company Hulu, finding them not guilty. Hulu appeared to be ignorant that they were sending data to Facebook that may be used to track down a specific viewer's history.
The complaint claims that HBO is aware of Facebook's usage of such information. Because HBO is a major sponsor on social media networks, this is the case. Furthermore, they utilise the same data to retarget Facebook advertising to their users. HBO Max's privacy policy states that they, together with their partners, utilise cookies to serve tailored adverts, among other things. However, the VPPA still requires customers to provide their approval for their personal viewing history to be shared. HBO has yet to recognise or reply to demands for a statement on the matter.
Bursor & Fisher, a law firm, was previously involved in litigation against Hearst. In the litigation, the corporation was accused of selling subscriber data in violation of Michigan's video privacy act, for which Hearst was fined $50 million.
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This complaint was brought in federal court in New York by Bursor & Fisher, a class-action litigation firm. It was filed on behalf of two HBO Max customers by the law firm. Angel McDaniel and Constance Simon are the subscribers who allege their information was shared with Facebook. The platform is accused of providing client names to the social networking site, according to the lawsuit. These client lists appear to allow Facebook to link consumers' watching patterns to their individual Facebook profiles.
HBO reportedly never seeks approval from users to disclose their watching history from the OTT platform, according to the lawsuit. The Video Privacy Protection Act is violated as a result of this conduct. Before an occurrence in 1988, the act was approved. The crime entailed the theft of Robert Bork's rental history from a video shop, according to reports.
Various streaming providers have been the target of similar allegations brought under this legislation during the previous 10 years. The VPPA has resulted in claims against OTT platforms or streaming providers such as ESPN, Hulu, and AMC Networks. In 2015, a judge found in favour of the streaming company Hulu, finding them not guilty. Hulu appeared to be ignorant that they were sending data to Facebook that may be used to track down a specific viewer's history.
The complaint claims that HBO is aware of Facebook's usage of such information. Because HBO is a major sponsor on social media networks, this is the case. Furthermore, they utilise the same data to retarget Facebook advertising to their users. HBO Max's privacy policy states that they, together with their partners, utilise cookies to serve tailored adverts, among other things. However, the VPPA still requires customers to provide their approval for their personal viewing history to be shared. HBO has yet to recognise or reply to demands for a statement on the matter.
Bursor & Fisher, a law firm, was previously involved in litigation against Hearst. In the litigation, the corporation was accused of selling subscriber data in violation of Michigan's video privacy act, for which Hearst was fined $50 million.
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