GoLookUp Illegally Used Ohio Residents’ Identities to Advertise Paid Subscriptions, Class Action Claims

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A proposed class action claims the operator of GoLookUp.com unlawfully uses Ohio residents’ personal information to advertise subscriptions for its online platform without consent.

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The 16-page lawsuit alleges Lucky2Media, LLC has violated the Ohio Right of Publicity Statute, a state-specific law that prohibits the use of an individual’s persona, including their name, likeness and photograph, for a commercial purpose without prior written consent. According to the suit, the company fails to obtain permission before compiling Ohio citizens’ identifying information and publicly displaying this data on GoLookUp.com to entice website visitors into purchasing memberships that allow full access to its database.

The complaint explains that GoLookUp’s database pulls data from millions of public records and aggregates it into reports that reveal certain information about an individual, such as their name, address, contact information, marriage status, relatives, criminal records, unclaimed money issues, mugshots or social information.

Anyone who visits the website may view a “free preview” of an individual’s profile by searching their name and state of residence, the filing says. Although a free preview may reveal their full name, age, relatives and location, more in-depth details about the person are blocked out, the suit relays.

To view a full report, website visitors must either buy a monthly subscription for $22.83, sign up for a three-month membership that costs $52.38 or select a five-day trial that automatically converts to a $68.22 monthly subscription at the end of the trial period, the lawsuit says. The case adds that consumers are free to view 30 reports per month after they’ve made their purchase.

“The purpose behind GoLookUp’s Free Previews is singular: to advertise and convince prospective customers to enroll in and ultimately purchase its monthly subscription services, whereby the user can access and retrieve full reports on any individual searched on the platform,” the complaint states. “In other words, the use of the name and partial identifying information contained in the Free Previews is part of GoLookUp’s overall effort to sell its monthly subscriptions.”

The plaintiffs, two Ohio residents who discovered in April 2023 that their personal information is listed on GoLookUp’s platform, claim they never gave Lucky2Media their consent to market its service using their identities.

“While GoLookUp offers individuals the opportunity to opt out of its database, this is of little help since the vast majority of people are unaware that they are in the database in the first place,” the case reads, pointing out that the company obtains its data from third parties rather than directly asking individuals for permission to include their information on its platform.

The lawsuit looks to cover all current and former Ohio residents who are not GoLookUp subscribers and whose name and/or identity are used to market paid subscriptions for its platform.

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