Bleacher Report class action alleges company shares subscriber data with Facebook

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Bleacher Report class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Tom Sorensen filed a class action lawsuit against Turner Broadcasting System Inc. d/b/a Bleacher Report Inc. 
• Why: Sorensen claims Bleacher Report unlawfully shares the personally identifiable and viewing information of its digital subscribers with Facebook-owner Meta Platforms without consent. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court. 

Bleacher Report owner Turner Broadcasting System knowingly discloses the data of its digital subscribers with Facebook-owner Meta Platforms without receiving proper consent, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Tom Sorensen claims Bleacher Report is violating the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) by allegedly sharing with Meta the personally identifiable information/Facebook ID (FID) and video viewing histories of its digital subscribers. 

Sorensen argues that the VPPA prohibits a video tape service provider from knowingly disclosing a customer’s personally identifiable information without first receiving express consent. 

“Defendant chose to disregard Plaintiff’s and hundreds of thousands of other Bleacher Report subscribers’ statutorily protected privacy rights by releasing their sensitive data to Facebook,” states the Bleacher Report class action. 

Sorensen wants to represent a nationwide class of consumers who have a digital subscription to a website owned by Bleacher Report and who had their personal viewing information disclosed to Facebook. 

Bleacher Report allegedly uses ‘Facebook Pixel’ to track users

Bleacher Report collects and shares the personally identifiable information of its digital subscribers by using what is known as the “Facebook Pixel” to track users as they navigate the platform, according to the Bleacher Report class action. 

“In this case, the information shared with Facebook includes the title of the video the subscriber watched, and most notably, the subscribers’ FID,” states the Bleacher Report class action. 

Sorensen argues that Bleacher Report’s digital subscribers “do not consent to the dissemination of their viewed Video Media to a third party through a standalone consent form, as required by the VPPA.” 

“As a result, Bleacher Report violates the VPPA by disclosing this information to Facebook,” states the Bleacher Report class action.

Sorensen is demanding a jury trial and requesting injunctive and declaratory relief along with an award of statutory and punitive damages for himself and all class members. 

A number of similar class action lawsuits have been filed recently against companies accused of unlawfully sharing the personal info of their subscribers with Facebook without consent, including HGTV, Paramount, and Forbes, among others. 

Have you had your personally identifiable information shared with Facebook without your consent? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Ryan F. Stephen and James B. Zouras of Stephan Zouras, LLP, and Brandon M. Wise and Adam Florek of Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise, LLP. 

The Bleacher Report class action lawsuit is Sorensen v. Turner Broadcasting System Inc. d/b/a Bleacher Report, Inc., Case No. 1:22-cv-05522, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Google settles biggest consumer fraud lawsuit in Arizona’s history for $85M
• Meta class action alleges Facebook intercepts, monitors, records private browsing activity
• Snapchat biometric privacy $35M class action settlement
• Chase class action claims company uses software to ‘eavesdrop’ on private conversations