Class Action Claims Willow.TV Illegally Shares Subscriber Info with Meta [UPDATE]

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A proposed class action claims the owner of Willow TV unlawfully discloses subscribers’ viewing history and other personal data to Meta Platforms (Facebook) without consent.

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The 17-page case accuses the owner of the cricket streaming service, BCCL Worldwide, Inc., of violating the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) by failing to obtain subscribers’ permission before sharing with Meta which prerecorded videos they watched on Willow.TV.

According to the suit, the defendant records what content subscribers view on the site using an invisible tracking tool called the Meta pixel. The complaint explains that the pixel, a piece of software code that can be integrated into any webpage, can be programmed to collect certain consumer data that will help both Meta and the website operator improve their targeted advertising capabilities.

In addition to the titles and URLs of each video a user has viewed, the Meta pixel provides the social media giant with subscribers’ IP addresses and pieces of software known as cookies, the filing contends. Per the case, Meta uses these cookies to link the information it learns about Willow TV subscribers to their respective Facebook and Instagram accounts.

“Users with Facebook accounts are assigned a ‘c_user’ cookie from Meta,” the case says. “Any person armed with a user’s c_user cookie can immediately identify that user’s Facebook page by simply typing ‘www.facebook.com/[c-user cookie]’ with that user’s c_user cookie number.”

To make matters worse, the defendant explicitly states on Willow TV’s website that it does “not provide any personally identifiable information to third party websites . . . without your consent,” the suit relays. The complaint says that the plaintiffs, two California residents who purchased Willow TV subscriptions to watch prerecorded matches of their favorite cricket teams, reasonably relied on the defendant’s online statement that their viewing histories would remain confidential.

Per the filing, Willow TV “never sought, let alone received” the plaintiffs’ or other class members’ permission to share their personal information with Meta.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States who subscribed to Willow TV and, while having a Facebook account, viewed prerecorded video content on Willow.TV during the time the Meta Pixel was active on the website.

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