In a significant legal move, a class action lawsuit has been filed against a major corporation accused of unlawfully harvesting personal data from users visiting a government website. The complaint was lodged by Jacqueline Jackson on January 23, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, targeting LinkedIn Corporation. This case brings to light serious allegations regarding privacy violations involving sensitive disability information.
The lawsuit claims that LinkedIn used a hidden tracking code known as the "Insight Tag" on the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website to secretly collect personal and disability-related data from LinkedIn members without their consent. According to the complaint, this unauthorized data collection included reading communications between users and the DMV concerning Disabled Person Placards (DPP). Jacqueline Jackson argues that neither she nor other class members were informed about this invasive practice. She accuses LinkedIn of designing the Insight Tag to bypass modern web browsers' privacy protections and claims it was intentionally deployed to gather vast amounts of personal information for advertising purposes.
The plaintiff alleges that LinkedIn's actions constitute a violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), specifically citing unlawful wiretapping under Cal. Penal Code § 631(a). Jackson is seeking statutory penalties for these violations and aims to hold LinkedIn accountable for its alleged misconduct. The lawsuit demands injunctive relief to prevent further unauthorized data collection and seeks disgorgement of any data acquired through these means. Additionally, it calls for compensation for damages sustained by class members due to these privacy breaches.
Representing Jacqueline Jackson and the proposed class are attorneys Roland Tellis, David Fernandes, and Adam Tamburelli from Baron & Budd P.C., along with Don Bivens from Don Bivens PLLC. The case is filed under Case ID 25CV457271 in front of Judge P. Hernandez at the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara County.