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Subscribers to Guns & Ammo, RifleShooter, and Handguns magazines had their personal information rented to data aggregators who then exposed that info to aggressive advertisers, political organizations, and non-profit companies, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs Richard Pratt and Larry Jones filed the class action lawsuit against Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG) Tuesday in a Michigan court. They say the magazine publisher has violated Michigan’s Video Rental Privacy Act (VRPA) by renting out their private reading information.
The class action alleges that, to supplement its revenues, OSG rents out its customers’ information — including full names, titles of publications subscribed to, and home addresses, age, gender, income, marital status, occupation, and hunting license status — to data aggregators without the written consent of its customers.
“As a result, plaintiffs have received a barrage of unwanted junk mail,” the claim says.
As well as junk mail, the class action lawsuit says OSG’s disclosure of the information is not only unlawful, but also dangerous. It says it allows for the identification of individuals who are likely to possess firearms and their addresses.
“For example, anyone could buy a customer list provided by OSG that contains the names and addresses of all women Guns & Ammo subscribers who are over the age of 40, possess a hunting license, and make over $80,000.00 per year,” the class action says.
“Such a list is available for sale on the open market for approximately $143 per thousand subscribers listed.”
The class action lawsuit points to “documented evidence” of its claims, showing a list of Outdoor Sportsman Group mailing list contacts for rent on the internet for 10 cents apiece.
“By renting, exchanging, or otherwise disclosing – rather than selling – its customers’ Private Reading Information, OSG is able to disclose the information time and time again to countless third parties.”
Pratt and Jones are looking to represent all Michigan residents who had their private reading information disclosed to third parties by OSG without their consent before July 30, 2016.
They are seeking certification of the class action, an award of $5,000 to each Class member under the Video Rental Privacy act, interest, fees, costs and a jury trial.
Meanwhile, in 2016, a $4.5 settlement was reached in a class action lawsuit accusing the magazine publisher Rodale Inc. of disclosing information about its subscribers and their subscriptions to third parties for marketing purposes without the consent of the subscribers.
What do you think of the allegations in this class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by E. Powell Miller, Sharon S. Almonrode, Dennis A. Lienhardt, William Kalas of The Miller Law Firm.
The Outdoor Sportsman Group Subscriber List Class Action Lawsuit is Richard Pratt et al., v. Outdoor Sportsman Group, Case No. 1:21-cv-11404-TLL-PTM, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Northern Division.
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2 thoughts onGun Magazine Subscriber Info Exposed, Class Action Lawsuit Alleges
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