Sinclair Illegally Shares TennisChannel.com Users’ Data with Third Parties, Class Action Lawsuit Claims

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A proposed class action lawsuit claims media company Sinclair, Inc. has knowingly shared with third parties, including Google, the personal data of TennisChannel.com subscribers, without consent.

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The 13-page privacy lawsuit alleges the streaming platform, which offers a library of prerecorded videos and live coverage of tennis and other sports, utilizes web-tracking technology that automatically captures and transmits subscribers’ personal information and viewing histories to third parties, which then allegedly use the data for targeted marketing purposes.

The suit contends that Sinclair’s conduct is a violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), a federal law that prohibits the disclosure of consumers’ video viewing histories without their informed written authorization.

According to the case, TennisChannel.com uses a Google Analytics pixel tracker to record and share with the tech giant every move a subscriber makes while viewing content on the platform. The complaint says the pixel discloses to Google information about a user’s device, the pages they viewed, the videos they watched, their IP address and more.

“In short, every single interaction between a subscriber and TennisChannel.com is recorded and sent to Google, including information sufficient to identify a particular subscriber and the video content that they watched,” the filing relays.

In addition, if a subscriber is a Google user, the platform also collects their Google ID and links all their activity on the website to it, the lawsuit asserts.

Per the suit, TennisChannel.com also discloses subscribers’ emails, account passwords, viewing histories and website interactions to EaseLive.TV, a third party which provides the platform with ad-integration services.

The case charges that although the platform’s privacy policy acknowledges its data-sharing practices, the website at no point acquires subscribers’ permission to share their personal information and viewing histories with third parties, as required under the VPPA.

The Sinclair privacy lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who, since June 24, 2022, had a paid subscription account with TennisChannel.com that they used to view prerecorded videos.

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