SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) — A Bleacher Report subscriber claims the company is illegally disclosing personal information to Facebook without users' consent.
Jabari Sellers, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint Jan. 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Bleacher Report Inc., alleging violation of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act and other claims.
Sellers alleges in his class action that Bleacher is illegally disclosing its digital subscribers' personal viewing information to Facebook without their consent. He claims that the defendant uses cookies, software development kits and pixels to disclose user information to third parties when using its site and tracks and shares their information, including Facebook ID and viewed videos.
Sellers further claims the defendant uses the information on its subscribers to build targeted advertising campaigns and generate greater revenue. He alleges the defendant uses "a tiny gray font" that is barely legible as its notice of terms and that subscribers are not given a link to a "distinct and separate legal document" that notifies them their personal viewing information will be disclosed or to withdraw from the ongoing disclosures.
Sellers and the class seek monetary relief, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Scott Edelsberg and Adam Schwartzbaum of Edelsberg Law PA in Los Angeles and Andrew Shamis and Edwin Elliott of Shamis & Gentile PA in Miami.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case number 3:23-CV-00368-SK