Compliance Management, Privacy

Hulu to stand trial for privacy violations

Popular online video streaming service Hulu will stand trial over a privacy lawsuit that claims the company illegally shared user viewing history with third-party sites.

On Monday, a federal judge in California rejected the company's requests to dismiss the class-action suit, which was brought to court by people in California, Illinois and New York seeking damages of at least $2,500 per violation, according to a Reuters report.

Hulu is allegedly violating the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act which protects the privacy of video renters. However, the company argues that the law doesn't apply because proof of “actual injury” – or distress to viewers – could not be provided, according to court documents.

Hulu is accused of sharing the data with Facebook and ComScore, a market research firm.

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