New Class Action Suit Claims Sex-Toy Firm Gave Google Identifying Data

A woman just brought a class action lawsuit against one of the biggest online retailers for sex toys, Adam and Eve, claiming that the site gave Google information about her searches for 8-inch dildos and strap-on harnesses. 

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The plaintiff, who isn’t named in the complaint but goes by “Jane Doe,” claims that Adam and Eve uses Google Analytics, which has an anonymization feature that obscures IP addresses of users, but that the site didn’t have that feature enabled. She’s suing PHE, the owner of Adam and Eve, as well as Google, for allegedly disclosing her “sexual preferences, sexual orientation, sexual practices, sexual fetishes, sex toy preferences, lubricant preferences, and search terms” without her consent.

“By using the Google Analytics tool without anonymized IP feature, PHE is sharing with Google Plaintiff’s online activity, along with her IP addresses, even when consumers have not shared (nor have consented to share) such information,” the complaint claims.

Ed Morrissey

If true, this could cost the retailer a very large amount of money -- although only in California, as this claim comes under state law regarding data privacy. Google is apparently not a party to the suit, and they issued a statement disclaiming any responsibility for how Adam & Eve used their system stats. One wonders whether this will serve as a test as to whether California or any state has such jurisdiction over Internet transactions, too. It's a case worth watching regardless of its salacious details. 

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