People, Entertainment Weekly class actions allege websites share subscriber information

People, Entertainment Weekly subscriber data sharing class action lawsuits overview: 

• Who: Michelle Harris-Shields filed a pair of class action lawsuits against Dotdash Meredith Inc. 
• Why: Shields, in separate complaints, claims Dotdash Meredith shares the personal viewing information of its People and Entertainment Weekly website subscribers with Facebook without consent. 
• Where: The class action lawsuits were filed in New York federal court. 

Dotdash Meredith shares the personal viewing information of its People and Entertainment Weekly digital subscribers with Facebook without having proper consent, a pair of class action lawsuits allege. 

Plaintiff Michelle Harris-Shields separately claims Dotdash Meredith knowingly discloses its People and Entertainment Weekly digital subscribers’ Facebook ID and video viewing information with Meta Platforms.

Harris-Shields argues Dotdash is violating the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) by allegedly disclosing the information without obtaining proper consent. 

“VPPA prohibits ‘video tape service providers,’ … from knowingly disclosing consumers’ ‘personally identifiable information,’” the People and Entertainment Weekly class actions state. 

Harris-Shields wants to separately represent nationwide classes of consumers who have a digital subscription to an online website owned and/or operated by Dotdash and have had their personal viewing information disclosed to Facebook. 

Dotdash denied Entertainment Weekly, People digital subscribers their right to privacy, class action says000

Dotdash denied its Entertainment Weekly and People digital subscribers to their right to privacy by “systematically” disclosing their personal viewing information to Facebook “without providing clear and conspicuous notice,” the Entertainment Weekly and People class action lawsuits allege.

“By disclosing Plaintiff’s and the Class’s Personal Viewing Information, Defendant violated Plaintiff’s and the Class members’ statutorily protected right to privacy in their video-watching habits,” the Entertainment Weekly and People class action lawsuits state. 

Harris-Shields argues Dotdash uses the personal viewing information it allegedly shares with Facebook without consent to increase its targeting advertising and generate greater revenue. 

“Defendant reaps these secret profits at the expense of its digital subscribers’ privacy and their statutory rights under VPPA,” the Entertainment Weekly and People class action lawsuits state. 

In each complaint, Harris-Shields is demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with awards of restitution and punitive damages for herself and all class members. 

A separate class action lawsuit involving People was filed against Time Inc. and the Meredith Corp. in 2019 by a consumer arguing the companies broke the law by allegedly automatically renewing People magazine subscriptions. 

Have you had your personal viewing information shared with Facebook without consent? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Andrew J. Shamis and Edwin E. Elliot of Shamis & Gentile, P.A., and Adam A. Schwartzbaum and Scott Edelsberg of Edelsberg Law, P.A. 

The People, Entertainment Weekly subscriber data sharing class action lawsuits are Harris-Shields, et al. v. Dotdash Meredith, Inc., Case No. 1:23-cv-00854, and Harris-Shields, et al. v. Dotdash Meredith, Inc., Case No. 1:23-cv-00851, both in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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