Lawsuits Accuse Zillow and Redfin of Sending Video User Data to Third Parties

U.S. real estate portal operators Zillow and Redfin are facing lawsuits for allegedly violating privacy laws by sharing user data with companies like Facebook and Google.

Guillermo Mata, a San Diego resident, filed the suits on June 25th, claiming the companies disclosed personal information, such as names and emails, without consent.

Mata's complaints state, "Defendant uses third-party code to track prerecorded videos its subscribers watch and sends that data to its third-party code vendors along with subscribers’ [personal information], all without its subscribers’ valid consent." The suits allege this tracking is for advertising purposes and profit.

Zillow and Redfin allegedly shared user activity data with companies including Reddit, Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet, Snapchat, and Oracle. The complaint refers to a recent Redfin filing that acknowledges potential liability from using pixel technology, highlighting ongoing legal uncertainty and the risk of expensive litigation.

The lawsuits seek to ban further unauthorized data disclosure and demand damages of at least $2,500 per violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act and $5,000 per violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, along with attorney’s fees.

A Zillow statement responding to the accusations read: “We are aware of the lawsuit filed. While we don’t discuss ongoing litigation, we intend to respond accordingly.”

The suit is another headache for Zillow as the company learned this week that it could be back in court to defend itself in the so-called "no-commingling" case against defunct discount brokerage REX.