Urban Outfitters Tracks Email Recipients’ Data Without Consent, Class Action Claims

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A proposed class action alleges Urban Outfitters secretly and unlawfully embeds tracking technology into its marketing emails.

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According to the 17-page case, the clothing retailer’s promotional emails contain an invisible piece of code known as a “spy pixel,” which it uses to collect data about how recipients engage with their messages for marketing purposes. 

The lawsuit claims that in violation of Arizona’s Telephone, Utility and Communication Service Records Act, Urban Outfitters has procured private email records from residents subscribed to its email list without their knowledge or consent.

The suit contends that the defendant uses Inbox Monster, an email tracking system, to learn when and for how long consumers open its emails. Inbox Monster’s spy pixel also allows Urban Outfitters to determine which email platform the recipient uses, their operating system and the country they’re located in, the complaint says.

Per the case, Urban Outfitters also uses a spy pixel offered by Salesforce, which tracks certain engagement data like when and where consumers open its emails. In addition, the complaint states that the retailer collects recipients’ associated email addresses, email client types, email path data, IP addresses and device information.

The plaintiff, an Arizona resident who frequently looked at Urban Outfitters’ promotional emails over the past two years, says the company never obtained her permission to track when she read its messages or collect identifying information about her. Like other Urban Outfitters email recipients, the plaintiff had her privacy rights violated by the company when it secretly spied on her private email records, the filing contends.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in Arizona who has opened a marketing email from Urban Outfitters.

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