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A consumer says he and others have been subjected to a “barrage of unwanted junk mail” after Crain Communications allegedly sold the personal information they submitted to obtain an Autoweek magazine subscription.
Lead plaintiff Gregory Winokur claims the company compiles the personal information of those who purchase an Autoweek magazine subscription from it. In turn, Crain Communications allegedly sells that information to advertisers. Advertisers can purchase information about the 162,819 Autoweek subscribers, then have the ability to target them with marketing based on personal traits, such as gender.
Winokur, a Kentucky resident, says he subscribed to Autoweek magazine for years until it was discontinued in 2019. He says he sent his subscription fee to Michigan-based Crain Communications to obtain the magazine, but never authorized the company to sell his personal information. In addition, Winokur says he was never informed Crain would sell his personal information to advertisers, nor was he provided a way to opt out.
The class action lawsuit alleges the information Crain sells to third parties about those with an Autoweek magazine subscription includes full names and addresses, as well as the titles each consumer purchases from Crain.
In addition, the plaintiff claims Crain sells “myriad other personal, lifestyle, and demographic information about the subscriber, such as his or her age, gender, income, the name of his or her employer, the industry in which the person works, and the list goes on.”
“Crain’s disclosure of Personal Reading Information, and other personal, demographic, and lifestyle information is not only unlawful, but also dangerous because it allows for the targeting of particularly vulnerable members of society,” contends the complaint, which goes on to note anyone could rent a list from Crain based on certain demographic information.
For example, the plaintiff points out, for just over $100, someone could obtain the full names and addresses of elderly women with an Autoweek magazine subscription from Crain.
In addition to subjecting Autoweek subscribers to unwanted junk mail, the plaintiff alleges, the sale of this information violates Michigan law. According to the class action lawsuit, Michigan’s Personal Privacy Protection Act (PPPA) prohibits the sale of “Personal Reading Information” by Crain about its subscribers.
The complaint notes the PPPA states those selling written materials cannot disclose to others information about the purchase, including the identity of the person who purchased the written materials, without written consent.
“Crain discloses this information from within Michigan and does not obtain its customers’ written consent prior to disclosing their Personal Reading Information,” the plaintiff alleges.
The plaintiff in the class action lawsuit seeks to represent consumers with an Autoweek magazine subscription whose personal information was sold by Crain Communications.
Do you have an Autoweek magazine subscription? Are you concerned about your data being sold to advertisers? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
The lead plaintiff and proposed Class Members are represented by Frank S. Hedin of Hedin Hall LLP, Joseph I. Marchese and Philip L. Fraietta of Bursor & Fisher PA and Nick Suciu III of Barbat Mansour & Suciu PLLC.
The Autoweek Magazine Subscription Class Action Lawsuit is Gregory Winokur v. Crain Communications Inc., Case No. 2:20-cv-13357-SJM-DRG, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
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