Politico, Gannett, Nexstar Sued for Using Online Tracking Tools

Politico LLC, Gannett Co. Inc., and Nexstar Media Inc. were hit with nearly identical lawsuits by the same plaintiff Wednesday alleging they shared consumers’ IP addresses, device data, and personal information with third parties in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act and other state laws.

John Deddeh alleged in the proposed federal class actions that the companies embedded hidden tracking tools from third-party software providers on their websites, allowing the third parties to collect their sensitive information without adequate notice or consent.

The tracking tools were unauthorized “pen registers” and “trap and trace devices” under ...