ZoomInfo Privacy Violations Class Action Lawsuit Overview
- Why: The plaintiff accuses ZoomInfo of violating her privacy, and others’, by using their personal information without consent for monetary gain.
- Who: A California resident lodged a class action lawsuit against ZoomInfo.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Washington federal court.
A California resident filed a class action lawsuit against ZoomInfo, a business sales and marketing platform, accusing the company of violating intellectual property and privacy rights by stealing individuals’ names and personal information and using them as subscription advertisements.
The lead plaintiff, Kim Carter Martinez, is not a subscriber of ZoomInfo and has never used zoominfo.com, but was “seriously distressed” to find ZoomInfo using her name and personal information on its website and subscription advertisements. She seeks to represent a Class that includes all California residents who do not subscribe to zoominfo.com and whose names and personal information were used by ZoomInfo in its promotional teaser profiles.
The class action lawsuit accuses ZoomInfo of misappropriating Martinez’s and Class Members’ names, contact information, work histories, job titles, and other personal information, all without permission or consent from these individuals.
Martinez alleges that she and other Class Members have the right not to be exploited to “promote a product with which they have no relationship and no interest in supporting.”
ZoomInfo ‘Unable to Verify’ Legality of Information Source
Martinez does not know how ZoomInfo got her information. ZoomInfo stated in its annual report that it “receive(s) data from third-party vendors,” but is “unable to verify” where that data came from, how it was received, and whether it was collected and shared in compliance with data privacy laws, according to court documents.
ZoomInfo also allegedly exploits its Community Edition subscribers who must install ZoomInfo software onto their computers. The software automatically collects the names and contact information of every person the subscriber emails, receives an email from, or has emailed in the past, even without those individuals’ consent.
ZoomInfo Uses Private, Sensitive Information for Monetary Gain
ZoomInfo displays Martinez’s and Class Members’ names and information on teaser profiles on its website, sometimes including photographs of the individual, according to the complaint.
Not billed as “sample” profiles, these pages promise “full access” to individuals’ information, including their colleagues’ contact information and a chart showing their positions within the company, once someone has subscribed to ZoomInfo at a cost of $10,000 or more per year, says the class action.
ZoomInfo has acknowledged that it “relies heavily” on its public teaser profiles to “generate a significant portion” of the website’s traffic, according to court documents.
The class action lawsuit seeks statutory damages, disgorgement of profits, royalties for the use of their personas, restitution of the value of their personas, prohibition of ZoomInfo’s unlawful conduct, attorneys’ costs, and declaratory relief.
Similar class actions lawsuits have been filed against yearbook company Classmates.com and online director RocketReach by consumers who say the companies made private information and images of them public on the internet without permission.
Have you ever used ZoomInfo or seen your information displayed on its website without your knowledge? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
The plaintiff is represented by Samuel J. Strauss of Turke & Strauss LLP.
The ZoomInfo Privacy Violations Class Action Lawsuit is Martinez v. ZoomInfo Technologies Inc., Case No. 3:21-cv-05725, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
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15 thoughts onWoman ‘Seriously Distressed’ by ZoomInfo Privacy Violations, Claims Class Action
My profile is created with a profile picture, professional contact details and work history are on zoom info. I’m distressed with the amount of information shared in the platform without my consent and available to the public.
ZoomInfo wrongfully published prior work history that is not me and that is specifically tied to a federal national case of a Shane Fleming, not me- Shane Fleming II. Due to this wrongfully accused and completely inaccurate published information, I can confidently say it has negatively impacted me both in business and personally, in a major way. Companies have reached out to me directly on many occasions trying to get me to pay them to have “negative remarks” removed online in which this is a top Google search that clearly list 80% of what shows as my job history being incorrect and again, tied to a major white collar crime of someone else by the name of Shane Fleming. I would like to be referred to an attorney to look into this asap and for me to be contacted. If I don’t hear by early next week, I’ll reach out to a few attorney contacts myself. Thank you in advance. – Shane Fleming II
Never signed up for zoom info, false information and personal information including personal phone number, email and home address listed. They will not remove.
Complete
Identify theft- pictures and information not true and misleading potentially damaging information