A recent federal court decision highlights the power of online terms and conditions, and how “choice-of-law” clauses can dramatically influence privacy litigation. In Crowell v. Audible, a Seattle judge dismissed a proposed class action alleging that Audible unlawfully shared its California customers’ browsing and listening data with Meta, finding that the case must proceed
California
California Hits Employer with $1.35M Fine in First-Ever Job Applicant Enforcement Action
By Kathryn Rattigan on
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AI at the Frontier: What California’s SB-53 Means for Large AI Model Developers
By Linn Foster Freedman & Roma Patel on
Posted in Artificial Intelligence
On September 29, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act (“the Act”) into law, establishing a regulatory framework for developers of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The law imposes new transparency, reporting, and risk management requirements on entities developing high-capacity AI models. It is the first of its…
CA, CT + CO AG’s + CPPA Band Together on “Joint Investigative Privacy Sweep”
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Data Privacy, Enforcement + Litigation
The Attorneys General of California, Connecticut, and Colorado, along with the California Privacy Protection Agency (“the Coalition”) announced on September 9, 2025, that they are banding together as a coalition on an investigative sweep of “potential noncompliance” with Global Privacy Control (GPC), that provides businesses with “an easy-to-use browser setting or extension that automatically signals…
The Price You Pay: California Largely Strikes Down Bill Banning Surveillance Pricing
By Roma Patel on
Posted in Data Privacy
In today’s marketplace, businesses hold vast amounts of consumer data. That data plays a central role in shaping business strategies. One of the most critical aspects of any business strategy is pricing and the process of determining how much to charge for a product or service and to whom. Price discrimination refers to a business…
SeatGeek Hit with Class Action Over Sharing User Data with TikTok and Meta
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Data Privacy
SeatGeek, the popular online ticketing platform, is facing a proposed class action in California federal court over allegations that it improperly shared website visitors’ personal information with TikTok and Meta through online tracking technologies. The complaint alleges that SeatGeek embedded TikTok and Meta tracking pixels on its website, enabling the companies to collect users’ personal…
Federal Jury Finds Against Meta for Collecting Data from Flo Health
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Enforcement + Litigation
On August 1, 2025, a California federal jury found that Meta violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) by collecting data from the Flo Health app without the consent of the individuals who downloaded the app and provided information about their period, ovulation, and pregnancies.
CIPA is California’s wiretap law, and the jury found…
Purl v HHS: Resetting the Reproductive Health Privacy Landscape
By Roma Patel on
Posted in HIPAA and Health Information
Reproductive health privacy is once again in the legal spotlight with a recent federal district court decision that struck down nearly all of a recent rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that protected reproductive healthcare-related information privacy.
In a ruling issued on June 18, 2025, in Purl v. Department of Health…
Etsy Sued Over Pixel Trackers: What It Means for Your Business
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Data Privacy
If you’ve ever browsed Etsy looking for a handmade candle or a quirky T-shirt, you might have unknowingly shared more than just your shopping preferences. A new lawsuit filed last week in California claims that Etsy has been quietly allowing third-party companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft to collect personal data from users through website…
California’s SB 690: A Game-Changer for Website Privacy Lawsuits Pushes Forward
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Data Privacy
On June 3, 2025, the California Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 690 (SB 690) in a 35-0 vote, a strong show of support for reining in a flood of lawsuits that have taken many companies by surprise over the last few years. The bill now heads to the California Assembly, where it will face further…