California Woman Files Class Action Suit Against CNN for Alleged IP Address Tracking Violations

The battle for digital privacy has taken center stage in California as a Berkeley resident, Carol Lesh, filed a proposed class action suit against CNN for allegedly using trackers to access users’ IP addresses without consent. The complaint, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, accuses the media company of violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act by using trackers to collect data for targeted advertisements and website analytics.

The lawsuit is part of a growing trend of cases challenging the use of pen registers on websites, with at least 10 similar cases filed in state courts since the beginning of 2024. The trackers in question, known as the PubMatic tracker, Rubicon tracker, and Aniview Tracker, are considered pen registers under CIPA, according to court records.

While the trackers do not provide information about the contents of communication with the website, Lesh claims they were able to access her location in Santa Clara, California, along with specific latitude-longitude coordinates and a ZIP code. The plaintiff is seeking class certification, a declaration that CNN’s conduct violates state law, and statutory damages of $5,000 for each CIPA violation.

Attorneys L. Timothy Fisher and Emily A. Horne of Bursor & Fisher in Walnut Creek are representing Lesh in the case. Attempts to contact CNN for comment were unsuccessful, and the company has not yet made an appearance in court. This lawsuit highlights the ongoing debate over digital privacy and the use of technology to track users’ online activities without their knowledge or consent.