Ubisoft targeted in a lawsuit that also involves Meta

Ubisoft has been targeted by a class action lawsuit revolving around unauthorized data sharing practices. The complaint alleges that Ubisoft shared personally identifiable information with Meta Platforms in violation of several US laws.

Public awareness of data privacy concerns has increased in recent years. Like the rest of the broader tech industry, game developers and publishers these days find themselves under constant scrutiny over their user data policies.

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The lawsuit alleges that Ubisoft illegally collected and shared user data

In further testament to this trend, Ubisoft recently found itself on the receiving end of a class action lawsuit centered on its data sharing practices. The complaint: Lakes et al. v. Ubisoft, Inc., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that the company unlawfully collected and shared personally identifiable customer information with Facebook owner Meta Platforms. The plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit say this was done using Pixel, Meta's analytics tool for tracking the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. By providing customer data collected through its website to Pixel, Ubisoft shared it with Meta's broader advertising network without the explicit consent of the people to whom the information belongs, the complaint said.

Ubisoft accused of violating wiretap laws

According to an October 3 court document reviewed by Game Rant, the lawsuit also alleges that Ubisoft's use of Pixel resulted in violations of state and federal wiretap laws, including the Video Privacy Protection Act and the Wiretap Act Specifically, the appellants argue that knowingly sharing their personal data with Meta Platforms constitutes an unauthorized interception of electronic communications, which is explicitly prohibited by the aforementioned legislation. This legal argument is similar to the one used in the 2021 wiretap lawsuit against Intel, which has yet to be resolved.

According to the complaint, any US citizen who has purchased a game directly from Ubisoft or paid for a Ubisoft+ subscription since the company began using Pixel has had their data illegally shared with Meta. The class action seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief. Regarding the latter, the plaintiffs proposed that Ubisoft be ordered to stop using Pixels on its website or to start obtaining explicit consent to share customer data with Meta. The litigation also seeks additional remedies intended to ensure that Ubisoft cannot repeat these alleged privacy violations in the future.

The timeline for cases of this nature typically includes up to three months of initial documents and responses, 6-12 months of discovery, up to six months of hearings, and 3-6 months of trial preparation and trial. Not to mention the workload of the competent court, which could lead to significant gaps between these phases. Ubisoft's lawyers will likely first want to see if there is any basis to dismiss or relegate the complaint to a regular lawsuit rather than a class action, potentially even pushing for arbitration. The case itself adds to Ubisoft's recent string of difficulties, which largely stem from some underperforming game releases.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a well-known video game developer and publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé, France. Current CEO Yves Guillemot runs a number of teams responsible for some of the most iconic and well-known series in video games, with franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Farcry, The Crew, Just Dance and more. Ubisoft also serves as the parent company for a number of other video game developers, including names like Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Paris, Blue Mammoth Games, Red Storm Entertainment, and more.

Founding date

March 28, 1986

Site

Saint Mandé, France

CEO

Yves Guillemot