Puma uses TikTok software to ‘trap and trace’ website visitors, class action claims

Puma class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Travis Rounds filed a class action lawsuit against Puma North America Inc. 
• Why: Rounds claims Puma collects website visitor data without consent using TikTok “fingerprinting” software. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court. 

Puma installed TikTok-created software on its website in order to identify and collect the data of its website visitors without their consent, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Travis Rounds’ class action lawsuit claims Puma failed to obtain the express or implied consent of its website visitors to share their data with TikTok for the purposes of “fingerprinting and de-anonymization.” 

“Defendant did not obtain consent from Plaintiff or any of the class members before using trap and trace technology to identify users of its Website,” the Puma class action says. 

Rounds wants to represent a California class of individuals who communicated with Puma via the chat feature on its website using cellular or landline telephone and whose communications were recorded and/or eavesdropped on without prior consent. 

TikTok software collects data from ‘otherwise anonymous’ Puma website visitors, class action says

Rounds alleges the TikTok software installed on Puma’s website collects as much data as it can from “an otherwise anonymous visitor” and matches it with existing data acquired and accumulated by TikTok from “hundreds of millions of Americans.” 

“The TikTok Software begins to collect information the moment a user lands on the Website. Thus, even though the Website has a ‘cookie banner’ the information has already been sent to TikTok regarding the user’s visit,” the Puma class action says. 

Rounds claims Puma is violating the California Trap and Trace Law. He demands a jury trial and requests declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of statutory and punitive damages for himself and all class members. 

Similar class action class action lawsuits have recently been filed against Nike, Converse and Teladoc over claims they installed TikTok-designed software on their respective websites that collect the information of their visitors without their consent. 

What do you think about the allegations that TikTok software collects your information without your consent? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Robert Tauler and Narain Kumar of Tauler Smith LLP. 

The Puma class action lawsuit is Rounds, et al. v. Puma North America, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:24-cv-09468, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

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