TEN: Publishing Media Improperly Disclosed Reader Data to Third Parties, Class Action Claims

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TEN: Publishing Media, LLC is the defendant in a proposed class action that alleges it disclosed magazine subscribers’ personal details to third parties without permission to do so.

Behind the case is a Michigan Hot Rod magazine subscriber who claims his information was disclosed by TEN to data aggregators, data cooperatives and list brokers, among other entities, who then shared the data with “aggressive” advertisers, political organizations and non-profits, causing him to receive a “barrage of unwanted junk mail.” The suit claims the company violated Michigan’s Preservation of Personal Privacy Act by disclosing the plaintiff’s personal information to third parties without his written consent. In fact, TEN, the case continues, doesn’t require prospective customers to “read or agree to any terms of service, privacy policy, or information-sharing policy” before subscribing to its publications.

According to the suit, the information shared with third parties by TEN includes customer names, magazine subscriptions, addresses, and other lifestyle and demographic information. Organizations can narrow down what subscribers they’re looking for and obtain customer lists from TEN based on targeting data, the case explains. “For example,” the complaint reads, “almost any organization could rent a list with the names and addresses of all Hot Rod customers who are female, over the age of 50, and with a net worth of greater than $500,000.”