Shopify’s Privacy Snafu: Ninth Circuit Court Gives Consumers the Green Light to Sue Corporations in Their Home States
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has given California consumers a sweet victory in Briskin v. Shopify, ruling they can sue companies like Shopify in their home state for violating data privacy laws. So, Shopify, tracking Californians is no longer a “mere happenstance”—it’s a ticket to court!
Hot Take:
Who would have thought that in the high-stakes game of corporate hide and seek, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals would play such a stellar detective? Shopify just learned the hard way that they can’t simply hide behind the pixels and bytes of the internet when pulling a digital fast one. The court’s decision means that even if you’re a multinational company, you can’t just tiptoe around state laws like a ninja and escape accountability. In the world of privacy law, the Ninth Circuit just laid down the smackdown, and it’s about time someone did!
Key Points:
– The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that consumers can sue companies like Shopify in their home state if state data privacy laws are violated.
– The case involved Shopify allegedly installing tracking software on devices without consent and collecting data to create user profiles.
– The initial lawsuit was dismissed due to lack of personal jurisdiction, but later reviewed and overturned by the full court.
– The court emphasized that Shopify’s data collection actions were not “mere happenstance” but were deliberately connected to California.
– The ruling strengthens state data privacy laws and holds companies accountable for their actions across state lines.