A $9 million Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against BuzzFeed, Inc. (“Defendant”). The class action lawsuit alleges BuzzFeed disclosed its subscribers’ personally identifiable information (“PII”) to Facebook, without consent of subscribers, in violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act (“VPPA”).
BuzzFeed denies it violated any law, but has agreed to the Settlement to avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with continuing the lawsuit.
The $9 million BuzzFeed settlement covers anyone in the United States who, between May 16, 2021 and November 10, 2023, was a log-in account holder and/or digital newsletter subscriber to a BuzzFeed website and accessed a video through the site while a relevant tracking pixel was operational.
What Websites Qualify for the BuzzFeed VPPA Settlement?
Websites covered by the BuzzFeed class action settlement include, but are not limited to, BuzzFeed.com, HuffPost.com, Tasty.com and Complex.com.
BuzzFeed privacy lawsuit—Peters v. BuzzFeed Inc
The BuzzFeed privacy lawsuit—Peters v. BuzzFeed Inc., CACE-24-004380—claimed that when subscribers visited a BuzzFeed-owned website, their personal data and the titles of videos they viewed were collected and shared with Facebook, without their knowledge or consent, via a hidden tracking pixel.
According to the allegations, this practice is a violation of the VPPA, a federal law that prohibits any “video tape service provider” from disclosing a consumer’s personally identifiable information—in this case, the videos they watched—to third parties without prior written authorisation.
In recent years, VPPA-related lawsuits have surged, primarily targeting companies that provide video content through websites and mobile apps.
One prominent case is Bleacher Report’s class action settlement, where the company agreed to pay $4.8 million. The lawsuits often stem from accusations that businesses share user data with third-party companies, like data analytics firms, using tracking and data collection technologies.
