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"
On April 29, 2025, the Senate Public Safety Committee voted 6-0 to advance legislation that would exempt processing of personal information for a commercial business purpose from coverage by the California Invasion of Privacy...more
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
In a big win for businesses, a California federal court just held that a “tester” plaintiff – someone who visits websites for purposes of initiating litigation – cannot bring a claim under the California Invasion of Privacy...more
Readers of this blog know about the never-ending barrage of consumer privacy litigation commenced against online companies in connection with their collection of consumer data. Several of these cases have recently been filed...more
An oft-discussed topic on this blog is the rise in lawsuits asserting illegal wiretapping claims against companies that use technology on their websites to track consumer interactions. Recently, a Pennsylvania federal judge...more
Generative AI continued to be a hot topic for privacy-related litigation in 2024. In the US, companies using and deploying this technology saw themselves subject to lawsuits under various state and federal theories of...more
Beware of demand letters from plaintiffs’ attorneys for allegations of illegal use of pen registers, trap and trace pixels, and search bar pixels—why? This “trap and trace” litigation is a growing trend for plaintiffs’...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
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
Two recent court decisions have provided businesses with long-awaited clarity on the reach of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) – and could begin to redefine digital privacy litigation for the better. Two separate...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
Massachusetts’ highest court recently issued an opinion that delves into the complex intersection of privacy law and modern technology. The case centers around whether the collection and transmission of users’ web browsing...more
Perhaps no use case better exemplifies the rapidly evolving privacy law landscape in the US than the legal framework surrounding companies’ use of cookies, pixels, and other web trackers. Gone are the days where marketing...more
Keypoint: California state courts weigh in on what does, and does not, qualify as a “pen registry” or “tap and trace” device while one California federal court raises whether a wiretapping claim can also allow for a CCPA...more
Those tracking CIPA litigation are familiar with the recent decision holding in favor of a company whose site had an online chat operated by a vendor. The court in that case held (1) that the company had not violated the...more
Businesses operating public facing websites that employ data analytics software to track users’ website interactions must be aware of a novel use of the California Information Privacy Act (“CIPA”) that has taken the...more
Central District of California dismisses lawsuit alleging that a third-party’s interception of communications over a website’s live chat feature violated California’s wiretapping and eavesdropping prohibitions. ...more
Keypoint: Multiple decisions from the same judicial district come down differently on wiretapping claims while three courts in different states each reject VPPA-defendants’ arguments that the plaintiffs lacked Article III...more
ArentFox Schiff's annual review of significant developments and trends that shaped class action litigation in 2023 has major implications for companies across the country. From labor and employment disputes to landmark...more
In the latest example of privacy laws being stretched to fit new digital technologies, plaintiffs have begun to file a flurry of suits alleging that retailers are using pen register and trap-and-trace software to illegally...more
The proliferation of class action lawsuit and arbitration claim filings under the Federal Wiretap Act and various state wiretap statutes has recently grown beyond California, as other states are now beginning to see more...more
Keypoint: The past two months have seen many courts dismiss privacy claims as judges appear to be more critical of plaintiffs’ theories while other judges have allowed cases to proceed past the motion to dismiss stage....more
The Plaintiffs’ Bar is well-known for pushing the boundaries of existing (and sometimes very old) laws with new and novel privacy claims. The most recent targets of this trend are (1) the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA),...more
If you are considering using video cameras or other surveillance in your workplace, state law might have something to say about it. There are many reasons you might want to use video cameras in your workplace – employee...more
US News - Utah Will Soon Publish US’s Latest Comprehensive State Privacy Law - The Utah Consumer Privacy Act, also known as Senate Bill 227, recently cleared the Senate and the House. Though there are a few more steps...more