Condé Nast is facing a threat that could soon hit other publishers.
A federal judge has ruled that a class-action privacy lawsuit against Condé Nast can go
forward, according to reports in Bloomberg and other media.
In denying Condé Nast’s motion to dismiss the action, District Judge Rita Lin ruled that the plaintiff, Aaron
Deivaprakash, had a case based on the alleged online tracking by Condé Nast in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA).
Deivaprakash charged that Condé
Nast installed trackers from Google, Audiencerate, and TransUnion and used the information collected to sell targeted advertising and to allow advertisers to compile profiles of consumers.
The
lawsuit also claimed that cookies were installed as part of this, in violation of CIPA.
Deivaprakash stated that he was tracked without consent when visiting Conde Nast’s websites,
including newyorker.com and wired.com, from 2012 to 2024.
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This caused injury to the plaintiff, the judge opined.
Of course, the case must still be litigated and Condé Nast
could well prevail in the end. But for now, this must be seen as more than a simple annoyance.
Many publishers are facing revenue challenges. Any blocking of the ability to create profiles and
track users could exacerbate the situation.
The next move is Conde Nast’s.
The case is on file with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.