Legal Alert | Wiretap Laws in the United States
Anti-Wiretap Class Actions Against Website Operators Surge, but Proper Consent Can Reduce Risk
Webinar Recording – Assessing the Surge in Wiretap Litigation
Is Edward Snowden a Whistleblower?
Rajaratnam Judge: Wiretaps in Insider Trading Cases are "Radical"
Topics that we often discuss on this blog are the use of third-party tracking tools and the California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”). Less discussed of late, however, is the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) which,...more
Keypoint: In this post: (1) California considers a “commercial exception” to wiretapping and pen registry laws; (2) a rise in federal wiretapping claims against websites; (3) more courts impose “knowledge or intent”...more
Yahoo’s ConnectID is a cookieless identity solution that allows advertisers and publishers to personalize, measure, and perform ad campaigns by leveraging first-party data and 1-to-1 consumer relationships. ConnectID uses...more
In late March, an online retailer successfully asserted consent as a complete defense to a putative Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act of 1978 (WESCA) class action lawsuit, resulting in the...more
While readers of this blog are familiar with the proliferation of California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”) wiretapping claims, our readers may be less familiar with CIPA-related GET Request claims. Below, we explain what...more
The first class action complaint was filed under Washington’s My Health My Data Act (“MHMDA”) on February 10, 2025, more than a year after the law’s passage. When the law passed in April 2023, MHMDA was novel for its broad...more
Welcome to the twentieth installment in our monthly data privacy litigation report. We prepare these reports to provide updates on how courts in the United States have handled emerging data privacy trends. After our expansive...more
It took some time, but we officially have the first complaint filed alleging violations of the Washington My Health, My Data Act (“MHMDA”). The complaint, filed February 10 in the U.S. District Court Western District of...more
It is hard to believe that we are starting the 25th year of the 21st century. The rapid evolution that technology, privacy and data security have undergone these last 25 years is mindbending. Yet, as we enter 2025, it still...more
Claims involving the alleged collection and use of consumer data continued to drive trends in privacy class actions and mass arbitrations in 2024. Biometrics Litigation - The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act...more
With the increase in AI-related litigation and regulatory action, it is critical for companies to monitor the AI technology landscape and think proactively about how to minimize risk. To help companies navigate these...more
Over the past decade, businesses and institutions with public-facing websites have increasingly turned to internet tracking technologies, such as cookies, pixels, and session replay tools, to optimize their websites and offer...more
The latest developments under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) and a recent wave of wiretapping class actions and arbitrations against website operators and third-party analytics companies are analyzed in a recent...more
In 2023, we discussed the uptick in data privacy and cybersecurity class action lawsuits; as expected, this trend has persisted throughout 2024 as plaintiffs continue to test new theories of liability and the boundaries of...more
Keypoint: Courts reject personal jurisdiction arguments and suggest the Shopify decision will be overturned; Courts continue to show differing approaches to VPPA claims at the pleading stage with a large VPPA class action...more
As an onslaught of recent class actions allege, companies may be liable for eavesdropping and wiretapping based on the use of common analytics software on their platforms. For instance, in California, plaintiffs have filed...more
On August 16, 2022, US Congress enacted Reese’s Law, which aims to protect children from ingestion hazards associated with certain lithium batteries found in consumer electronics. The law stems from the death of 18-month-old...more
What You Need To Know In A Minute Or Less - In 2023, we published 16 editions of our Litigation Minute newsletter, featuring emerging topics posing increasing and significant risks to companies. In a minute or less, here are...more
Plaintiffs class action lawyers have latched onto privacy litigation as their next big meal ticket. Over the past year, companies have faced a new barrage of lawsuits under the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, (VPPA) and...more
In this third installment on the enforcement of U.S. consumer data privacy laws, we focus on the role of private litigants. Following our discussions of state and federal government enforcement, this post focuses on the third...more
The pace of internet consumer privacy class action litigation is skyrocketing. Remarkably, no specific legislative change in the law triggered the increase in litigation. Instead, the driver of this litigation explosion — in...more
Website tracking technologies have become ubiquitous as a means for companies to monitor traffic to their websites and enhance the user experience. Class actions alleging insufficient notice and consent related to those same...more
Facebook’s parent company Meta has agreed to settle one of the longest-running data privacy lawsuits in the country for $90 million. This dispute, originally filed in 2012 in a total of 21 related cases, alleged that Facebook...more