Legal Alert | Wiretap Laws in the United States
Anti-Wiretap Class Actions Against Website Operators Surge, but Proper Consent Can Reduce Risk
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California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”) wiretapping claims against online businesses are topics with which our readers are well-versed. Inconsistent court decisions about whether wiretapping claims under CIPA apply to the...more
Businesses just received some good news when a federal court dismissed a California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) claim that aimed to expand the reach of the state’s wiretapping law to cover internet communications. The...more
In a big win for businesses, a California federal court just held that a “tester” plaintiff—someone who visits websites to initiate litigation—cannot bring a claim under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA)....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
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
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
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
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
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
Some businesses might be surprised to learn that digital wiretapping litigation claims are one of today’s fastest-growing compliance risks, with over 1,560 lawsuits filed in 28 states since a groundbreaking 2022 decision...more
Readers of this blog may recall a recent favorable decision handed down by Massachusetts State’s highest court in which it found that Massachusetts Wiretap Act claims (“MWA”) do not extend to consumer interactions with...more
Welcome to the nineteenth 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. We are covering...more
To date, 19 states have adopted comprehensive data privacy laws, but Massachusetts is not among them. Thus, Massachusetts residents whose web browsing activities result in an unexpected loss of privacy sometimes base their...more
In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind decision, a California federal court just granted class certification in a wiretapping claim brought against a website operator that used third-party technology to track users’...more
Amid the continued wave of consumer class action lawsuits targeting the use of cookies, pixels, beacons, and other tracking tools on organizations’ websites, a recent decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court...more
Many people are thinking of holiday cookies at this time of year, but your favorite privacy lawyers are still thinking more about the non-delicious kind: those enabling common features on websites and online services. That’s...more
In recent months, a wave of lawsuits has swept across the nation, targeting websites for allegedly violating state wiretapping laws through their use of tracking software. Despite none of these statutes explicitly addressing...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
In a highly anticipated decision on an issue facing courts across the country, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held in late October that Massachusetts hospitals’ use of online tracking technologies that collect and...more
Publications & Advisories - November 2024 – Kathleen Benway, Jennifer Everett, Alysa Austin, and Kristen Bartolotta published “Federal Trade Commission’s Updated Health Breach Notification Rule Is Now in Effect” in Employee...more
Companies commonly use tracking technologies – such as Meta’s “Pixel” software or “Google Analytics” – on their websites for various reasons. In numerous class actions across the country, plaintiffs have claimed that the use...more
In a critical new decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has confirmed that the state’s anti-wiretapping statute does not extend to website tracking technologies. In Vita v. New England Baptist Hospital, the Court...more
On October 24, 2024, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts issued its highly anticipated decision in Vita v. New England Baptist Hospital, rejecting a plaintiff’s attempt to pin Wiretap Act liability on two hospitals...more
In a long-awaited decision affecting the scope of privacy protections in Massachusetts, on October 24, 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) held that collecting and transmitting user browsing activities,...more
The California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”) and the Massachusetts Wiretap Act (“MWA”) are state statutes which prohibit the unlawful recording of communications. As our readers can guess, CIPA and MWA originally were...more