Crunchyroll sued for sharing user data with a marketing company
Crunchyroll is being sued for sharing user data in a new class action lawsuit filed in the United States. According to the plaintiffs, the popular anime streaming platform allegedly disclosed personal information of subscribers to a third-party company without user consent.
According to documents presented in the U.S. court, the case involves possible violations of the law known as the Video Privacy Protection Act, or VPPA. This legislation was created to protect consumer privacy by preventing companies from disclosing records of viewed content without authorization.
Crunchyroll sued for sharing user data with a marketing company
The lawsuit claims that Crunchyroll is being sued for sharing user data through its own application. According to the accusation, the app used a software development kit provided by the marketing company Braze.
This type of tool is normally used by apps to send personalized notifications, in-app messages, and email marketing campaigns. However, the plaintiffs argue that the integration allowed personal user information to be transmitted without explicit consent.
Among the data allegedly shared were email addresses, device identifiers, and even the names of the anime and episodes the user watched on the platform.
The plaintiffs argue that this information would be enough for the third-party company to identify exactly what each Crunchyroll subscriber was watching.
In addition, the accusation states that over time it would be possible to build detailed profiles of users’ behavior based on their viewing history recorded across different sessions.
U.S. law protects video viewing history
The VPPA law establishes that companies offering video services cannot disclose consumption records that include personally identifiable information without the consumer’s authorization.
There are some exceptions provided by the legislation, such as sharing data with written user consent or in specific cases involving court orders. However, the plaintiffs claim that Crunchyroll did not comply with any of these exceptions.
Another point raised is that the company has faced a similar lawsuit before. In 2023, Crunchyroll reached a settlement in a case related to alleged privacy violations, in which users in the United States were able to request financial compensation.
Lawsuit may involve millions of users
The new class action aims to represent two groups of consumers: minor users who created accounts on the platform and adults who used the Crunchyroll app while their data was allegedly being shared.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages of up to $2,500 for each violation of the law, in addition to attorney’s fees and other penalties that may be determined by the court.
Considering that Crunchyroll has more than 17 million subscribers and around 130 million registered users worldwide, a possible conviction could result in extremely high amounts.
So far, the company has not officially responded to the accusations. The case is being analyzed by the U.S. justice system and, as with many cases of this type, it may take years before a final decision or a possible settlement between the parties.
via Anime Corner