The number of cases alleging violations of the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act has risen in recent years and seems likely to continue to grow after an October decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, privacy lawyers said in interviews. The VPPA was intended to protect the privacy of an individual’s video store rentals. However, in the past decade or so, its reach has widened to include streaming services, said Matthew Wolfe, a Shook Hardy privacy attorney.
A U.S. District Court of Northern California ruling last week in NetChoice v. Bonta, which involved a law regulating addictive social media feeds for minors, will likely hold up and pave the way for approval of similar state laws, supporters of such laws said. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is set to consider an appeal of the Dec. 31 decision rejecting NetChoice's motion to stop the law from taking effect the next day.