ST. LOUIS (Legal Newline) — Zillow is facing a class action alleging it illegally intercepted its website users' browser to collect data.
Jill Adams and Jill Adams as natural mother and next friend of her minor child, H.A., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint Sept. 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against Zillow Group Inc., alleging violation of the Missouri Wire Tap Act, invasion of privacy and other claims.
Adams alleges in the class action complaint that Zillow is intercepting the private electronic communications of visitors on its website without their consent. She claims that Zillow directs third-party vendors such as Microsoft to embed "snippets of JavaScript computer code" that intercept and record a website visitor's internet browser including mouse movements, clicks and web pages visited.
Adams further claims Zillow uses the information to improve user interactions and provide targeted real estate advertisements to website visitors. She alleges that her minor child, who visited www.zillow.com from the web browser on her phone, also fell victim to Zillow's unlawful monitoring, recording and collection of its website communications.
She also alleges she and other class members did not consent to having their website communications intercepted and recorded. Adams claims that Zillow's actions constitutes invasion of privacy and exposes website users to identity theft, online scams and other privacy threats.
Adams and the class seeks monetary relief of more than $5 million, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Tiffany Marko Yiatras of Consumer Protection Legal LLC in Ellisville and Bryan Bleichner of Chestnut Cambronne PA in Minneapolis.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Mississippi case number 4:22-CV-1023