Travel Wiretapping Legal Investigations: Were Your Privacy Rights Violated?

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org believe that some online travel companies may be violating state and federal wiretapping laws by sharing consumers’ private information without consent.

Specifically, they suspect certain websites may be using tracking tools to gather information about users — including details about their travel itineraries — and sharing the data with Meta for advertising purposes. It’s possible that customers’ travel information is being shared along with their Facebook IDs, unique identifiers that can be used to locate each person’s Facebook profile.

The attorneys are now looking to pursue claims over these potential privacy violations and are gathering consumers who want to participate. Certain states’ privacy laws provide that consumers could be owed anywhere from $100 to $5,000 for violations.

Keep reading for a summary on each website under investigation – including more details on which users may be affected and what data could be getting shared.

Which Travel Websites Are Under Investigation for Potential Wiretapping Privacy Issues?

Hopper.com Wiretap Investigation

Hopper—an accredited travel agency—runs a fast-growing booking platform travelers can use to secure deals on hotels, flights, rental cars and homes.

However, it’s possible that customers may be dealing with more than just the travel bug. Attorneys have reason to believe that Hopper may secretly use tracking tools to share website visitors’ trip details with Facebook in violation of state wiretapping laws. Now, they’re gathering people who may have their data illegally disclosed to take legal action against the company.

So, if you’ve booked travel plans through Hopper.com within the past two years, join others taking action using the link below.

Hopper.com Users Sign Up Here

Margaritaville Privacy Investigation

Vacationers who booked travel on MargaritavilleResorts.com or MargaritavilleAtSea.com may have had their privacy violated, according to attorneys working with ClassAction.org. The attorneys believe the late Jimmy Buffet’s hospitality company—which operates hotels, cruises, restaurants and retail stores under the Margaritaville brand—may have used tracking tools on its travel websites to record users’ activities and share their personal information, including reservation details, with Facebook.

If you booked travel on MargaritavilleResorts.com or MargaritavilleAtSea.com within the past two years and also have a Facebook account, join others taking action.

Margaritaville Users Sign Up Here

Agoda Data Sharing Legal Investigation

Agoda.com, an online travel platform that promises customers they can “see the world for less,” may be unlawfully sharing users’ confirmed bookings and itineraries with Facebook.

Specifically, attorneys working with ClassAction.org have reason to believe users’ activities on the website may be getting tracked and logged via the Meta pixel and then sent to the social media giant along with a unique ID that can match the data to an individual’s specific Facebook account. This data potentially includes each hotel or flight the person views, each search they perform, and each reservation they make – and it could be used by both the travel company and Facebook to better target advertisements.

Attorneys suspect that the potential sharing of users’ travel plans could violate state and federal wiretapping laws, which prohibit the interception and disclosure of an individual’s electronic communications without their consent.

If you have a Facebook account and booked a hotel, flight, rental car or vacation package with Agoda.com within the past two years, join others taking action against the travel platform. You may be owed money for the potential sharing of your flight, hotel and other travel plans with Facebook.

Agoda Users Sign Up Here

How Could My Travel Plans Be Getting Shared with Facebook?

Many website operators use tracking tools on their websites to gather data about their users.

One such tool, called the Meta pixel, can be embedded on any webpage and programmed to capture nearly every action a visitor takes on the page, such as the buttons they click, the searches they perform and the content they view. This data can then be used by both the website operator and Meta to better target advertisements to their users.

Attorneys are specifically looking into whether the websites mentioned above are using the Meta pixel to track information about users’ travel plans, including details about their booked itineraries. It’s possible that this data is being shared with Meta along with each person’s Facebook ID, which is a unique identifier that could potentially be used to match the person’s reservation information with their individual Facebook profile.

These suspected data-sharing practices may violate certain wiretapping laws, which prohibit the interception and disclosure of an individual’s electronic communications without their permission. 

What Am I Signing Up For? Is This a Lawsuit?

You are not signing up for a lawsuit, but rather a process known as mass arbitration. This is a relatively new legal technique that, like a class action lawsuit, allows a large group of people to take action and seek compensation from a company over an alleged wrongdoing. Here is a quick explanation of mass arbitration from our blog:

“[M]ass arbitration occurs when hundreds or thousands of consumers file individual arbitration claims against the same company over the same issue at the same time. The aim of a mass arbitration proceeding is to grant relief on a large scale (similar to a class action lawsuit) for those who sign up.”

Some travel websites’ terms of use may contain a class action waiver and/or arbitration clause requiring website users to resolve disputes via arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution that takes place outside of court before a neutral arbitrator, as opposed to a judge or jury. It’s for this reason that attorneys working with ClassAction.org have decided to handle these matters as mass arbitrations rather than class action lawsuits.

How Much Does This Cost?

It costs nothing to sign up, and you’ll only need to pay if the attorneys win money on your behalf. Their payment will come as a percentage of your award.

If they don’t win your claim, you don’t pay.

How Much Money Could I Get?

There are no guarantees as to how much money you could get or whether your claim will be successful. However, certain states’ privacy laws specify that consumers whose rights are violated could be owed anywhere from $100 to $5,000 each.

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