Free, ad-supported streaming service Tubi lost its bid to force a class action lawsuit accusing it of improperly sharing user data with advertisers out of the court room, according to Bloomberg Law.
The FOX-owned service attempted to move the case to arbitration, which users typically agree to when they sign a company’s terms of service, but it couldn’t prove that the plaintiff, Sylvia Campos, actually accepted the terms. As a result, Judge John J. Tharp. Jr. of the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois District rejected the request. He also denied the request to dismiss the case.
The class action lawsuit deals with whether Tubi took Campos’ information and improperly shared it with advertisers. The plaintiff is accusing Tubi of violating the Video Privacy Protection Act, an old law that went into effect in 1988 that makes companies liable for sharing the personally identifiable information of anyone that uses its services without first getting their written consent. It’s one a myriad of cases that have utilized this law to target streamers today.
In the case of Campos, the claims include getting information from GPS data and browsing history, according to the complaint that was reviewed by Bloomberg.
A spokesperson for Tubi wasn’t immediately available for comment.
The lawsuit seeks unspecific damages. It also seeks to expand the suit to include every Tubi user who has registered for the service since June 2021, according to the Cook County Record, which reviewed the claim.
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