Buzzfeed class action alleges website installs trackers on visitors’ browsers

Buzzfeed trackers class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Plaintiff Chih-Yuan Chang filed a class action lawsuit against Buzzfeed Inc. 
• Why: Chang claims Buzzfeed is violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act by installing trackers on its website visitors’ internet browsers without consent.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court. 

BuzzFeed unlawfully installs trackers on the internet browsers of its website visitors, a new BuzzFeed class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Chih-Yuan Chang’s class action lawsuit claims that BuzzFeed is violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) by installing and using trackers without either prior consent from website visitors or a court order.

“At no time prior to the installation and use of the Trackers on Plaintiff’s and Class Members’ browsers, or prior to the use of the Trackers, did Defendant procure Plaintiff’s and Class Members’ consent for such conduct,” the BuzzFeed class action says. 

Chang wants to represent a class of California residents who accessed BuzzFeed’s website in the state and subsequently had their IP address collected by a tracker. 

BuzzFeed trackers boost revenue for site, class action claims

Chang argues BuzzFeed installs trackers on the internet browsers of its website visitors in order to obtain their IP address, which she argues is information that can be useful for marketing and advertising purposes. 

“The Trackers are designed to analyze Website data and marketing campaigns, conduct targeted advertising, and boost Defendant’s revenue, all through their surreptitious collection of Plaintiff’s and Class Members’ data,” the BuzzFeed class action says. 

The plaintiff demands a jury trial and requests declaratory relief, along with an award of statutory damages of $5,000 for each violation of CIPA for herself and all class members. 

A separate class action lawsuit filed against Buzzfeed in September 2022 claims the company shared the personally identifiable information and video browsing histories of its HuffingtonPost.com digital subscribers with Facebook without having proper consent.  

Have you had Buzzfeed trackers installed on your internet browser? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Yitzchak Kopel, Alec M. Leslie and Max S. Roberts of Bursor & Fisher, P.A. 

The Buzzfeed trackers class action lawsuit is Chang v. Buzzfeed Inc., Case No. 1:24-cv-02753, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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