Lawsuit Investigation: Is MUBI Sharing Users’ Data with Facebook?

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are investigating whether a class action lawsuit can be filed on behalf of MUBI users over potential privacy violations.

Specifically, they have reason to believe that the streaming service may have used tracking tools on its website and app to secretly gather data about users and the movies they’ve streamed and shared this information with Facebook. This data could potentially tie a user’s watch history to their Facebook ID, a unique identifier that can be used to match the individual to their Facebook profile.

The attorneys are investigating whether MUBI violated the Video Privacy Protection Act, a federal law that could require companies to pay up to $2,500 per violation.

How Could MUBI Be Violating Users’ Privacy?

Many website and app operators gather data about the people who use their services by using invisible tracking tools, including the Meta pixel.

The pixel, which can be embedded on any webpage, can be programmed to record every action a visitor takes, such as the buttons they click, the searches they perform and the content they view. Similar tools can also be used to track users’ activities on an app and share the data with Facebook.

In the case of MUBI, attorneys are specifically looking into whether the streaming service is tracking which videos its users have watched and sending that information to Meta along with each person’s Facebook ID. A Facebook ID is a unique identifier linked to an individual’s Facebook profile and could potentially be used to match up a specific person with the movies they’ve watched on their MUBI account.

In general, the data collected through these tracking tools can be used by the website and app operator and the social media giant to better target advertisements to their users.

The attorneys believe that MUBI’s suspected data sharing practices may violate the federal Video Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits “video tape service providers” from disclosing to third parties any information that identifies the video materials a person has requested or watched without their consent.

How Could a Class Action Lawsuit Help?

A class action lawsuit, if filed and successful, could help compensate MUBI users for any violations of their privacy.

Though there are no guarantees as to how much money each person could receive through a class action lawsuit, the VPPA provides that companies may be required to pay consumers up to $2,500 for violations of the law.

A lawsuit could also potentially force MUBI to change its data privacy practices.

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