WatchNRL.com Secretly Discloses Subscribers’ Video Choices to Facebook, Class Action Lawsuit Claims
Blakeley v. The National Rugby League Limited et al.
Filed: August 9, 2024 ◆§ 3:24-cv-04923
A class action alleges the companies behind Watch NRL monetize subscribers’ private information by illegally sharing it with Facebook.
The National Rugby League Limited Fox Sports Australia Pty Limited Fox Sports StreamCo Pty Limited
California
A proposed class action lawsuit alleges the companies behind Watch NRL, an international streaming service for Australian professional rugby, monetize subscribers’ private information by illegally sharing it with Facebook.
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The 18-page privacy lawsuit claims WatchNRL.com contains a piece of code called the Meta pixel that secretly records subscribers’ interactions with the site, specifically which rugby matches, game highlights and other video content they watch. According to the case, the pixel then sends this data to Facebook to use for targeted advertising purposes.
These alleged transmissions occur without users’ consent and include information that can link their identity to their video viewing behaviors, the complaint contends. Per the filing, the tracking tools on WatchNRL.com capture a visitor’s Facebook ID, which is a unique number assigned to each Facebook user that can be linked to their profile and all personal information publicly listed there.
The case claims defendants National Rugby League, Fox Sports Australia and Fox Sports StreamCo have violated the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), a federal law Congress passed in 1988 “with an eye on the digital future.”
Under the VPPA, “video tape service provider[s]” are prohibited from knowingly disclosing any information that identifies the video materials a person has requested or watched without their permission, the Watch NRL lawsuit explains.
The case looks to represent anyone in the United States who has subscribed to Watch NRL and, while having a Facebook account, viewed prerecorded video content on WatchNRL.com when the Meta pixel was active on the site.
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