Encyclopaedia Britannica Sued for Alleged CIPA Violation
The Encyclopaedia Britannica site tracks users' activity and then sells it to third parties in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, said a class-action complaint Tuesday against the venerable reference source. Tracking software was installed on britannica.com and is operated without user knowledge or consent, plaintiff Daniel Vesely alleged.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The trackers are "third-party technologies, that function as unlawful pen registers and/or trap and trace devices," and are used "to capture detailed information about users’ electronic communications such as [IP] addresses, session data, clickstream activity, and form inputs in real time."
"Collectively, this data is used for behavioral profiling, location tracking, ad targeting, cross-device tracking, and participation in real-time advertising auctions," which is then exploited "for targeted marketing and advertising that monetize the Website," Vesely added.
Case 2:25-cv-08552 was filed in the U.S. District Court for Central California.