Microsoft Sued for Improper Ad Platform Data Collection and Surveillance
Microsoft tracks and indefinitely records the personally identifiable information (PII) and internet activity of millions of Americans through its advertising and analytics platform and profits off that information, according to allegations in a class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for Western Washington.
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The company is "collecting various forms of PII and web activity records of nearly every American and sells that data to target" advertising, the complaint said. "The information collected, on its own, is enough to identify the individual internet user." But Microsoft "also combines the data from each and every website a person visits with other data collected by its partner advertisers," in violation of wiretapping laws.
Case 25-00570 alleges that Microsoft installed tracking pixels, such as the Adnxs Pixel, onto websites without the knowledge or consent of users, and the PII it collects is used to create user profiles. The plaintiffs alleged they were "unaware" that Microsoft "was installing trackers on [their] browser, wiretapping [their] communications, aiding in the wiretapping of [their] communications by Partner Pixels, deanonymizing [their] personal data, or collecting, selling, and disclosing [their] personal data to advertising technology companies, other data brokers, or any person or entity doing business with" Microsoft.
In addition to the wiretapping claims, the class-action members also sued on counts of intrusion upon seclusion, violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act and violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Microsoft didn't comment.