Online-Media Buyer Trade Desk Sued Over Consumer Data Collection

Advertising-services provider Trade Desk Inc. was accused in a proposed class action Friday of secretly creating dossiers on consumers by collecting their personal information and monitoring their online and real-world activities in violation of their privacy rights.

Lead plaintiffs Doug Michie and Justin Dyer alleged in a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California that Trade Desk secretly tagged consumers with permanent ID numbers; gathered information about their activity on the Internet via their phones, computers, and connected TVs; and collected their real-world location and shopping information.

The company then combined the information into ...