A New York man is suing an LGBTQ entertainment company for selling his personal information to data brokers.
Hudson Valley native Dennis Chiamulera says that he often patrons TLA Entertainment Group Inc. TLA is a gay and lesbian cinema distributor that Hudson frequently rents videos from. But according to a new class-action lawsuit against the group, TLA has disclosed its consumers’ personal information to third parties.
“TLA disclosed its consumers’ personal viewing information – including their sexual orientation and adult film preferences that can reveal intimate facts about our lives, from our political and religious beliefs to our health concerns – to anybody willing to pay for it,” the lawsuit states.
According to West Fair Online, NextMark Inc., a mailing list broker, sells TLA customer data to advertisers, nonprofit organizations, and other third- party companies. Despite this, the lawsuit specifically targets TLA and not NextMark Inc.
According to Chiamulera, the data disclosures are a privacy threat that usually results in heaps of junk mail. That said, “particularly vulnerable members of society” then become targets of con artists, criminals, and the like.
If Chiamulera’s claim that the TLA does not provide written notice or ask permission for this practice is found true in court, the company could be found in violation of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act and the New York State Video Consumer Privacy Act.
Chiamulera is asking for the court to certify as a class all individuals whose personal info was shared by TLA. He is also asking for damages of $2,500 per person under the federal law and $500 per person under the New York State law.
Source: West Fair Online
