Ticketmaster lawsuit over privacy concerns | Matt Connarton Unleaashed

0:00 Speaker 1: Ticketmaster faces lawsuit over alleged website tracking and surveillance stools. This is from Music Businessworldwide dot com.

0:10 Speaker 2: I feel like.

0:12 Speaker 1: Whenever we talk about lawsuits in the music industry, Ticketmaster's name comes.

0:15 Speaker 2: Up a lot, a lot, a lot.

0:17 Speaker 1: They're constantly getting yes, yes, here's the well, here's the newest thing. A new class action lawsuit has been filed against Ticketmaster, a leegendist website deploys unauthorized surveillance tools that violate California privacy laws. The latest complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California on Monday, January five, only listed Ticketmaster as the defendant. The class action was led by Solano County, California resident named Jeffrey Scruggs. The complaint claims that Ticketmaster employs advertising and analytics trackers for from Google, Facebook, TikTok, and Microsoft bing Oh Bing, I remember bing.

1:05 Speaker 3: I forget that that exists.

1:06 Speaker 2: I know, I do too, I didn't even know it still existed.

1:09 Speaker 1: As well as those operated by Pinterest, Snap and comm Score to illegally quote collect, receive and process unquote information.

1:22 Speaker 1: Excuse me how to cough information from users, such as IP addresses, paid RL's timestamps, and device on or browser characteristics, among others. By the way, before we go any further with this, I would just say, yeah, I just kind of would have assumed that, like, is any of this shocking to you?

1:45 Speaker 4: No? Shocking el Heck no no. But it raises an important issue about privacy. So do you, on the one hand, do you want ads that are targeted to what you like? Maybe you would like that instead of add that are selling trying to sell your products you would have nothing to do with, right, Like, But.

2:08 Speaker 3: What to what? To what expense?

2:12 Speaker 4: Do you want it to know when you turn your browser on and off? Do you want it to tell what your favorite color is? Do you want it to tell what musicians you're looking up or whether you looked up something for athletes' foot You know how it could get? How much information? Is okay with you? Because once it's out, it's out right. Once something gets a net, it's on the net. There's no deletion, it's there.

2:38 Speaker 3: You know.

2:38 Speaker 4: I remember years ago, years and years and years ago, when the supermarkets came out with this device that you could go around to shop with and it would get to know you, and it would tell you if you were in a particular aisle, do you want to get X again? Or why again? And how privacy wants got really said about it. They're like, oh, well they're gonna know what you're eating, They're gonna know what you're tagging him, you know. And then it was like, oh, I went shopping and then I got like five cheese coupons in the mail because I bought a lot of cheese.

3:11 Speaker 4: So where did that seveiled information come from? So to them doing this as they're trying to show you the ads, like they want to show you the Doobie Brothers, So they want to show you I don't know, kid rock whoever it is.

3:24 Speaker 1: Yeah, to me, it's no different than you know, when you go on a shopping site like Amazon and you see products selected for you, suggested for you, I should say that by your recent history that you might like, yes, things that you're actually interested in.

3:39 Speaker 2: That's how all of it works.

3:41 Speaker 4: Okay, Well why does it always try and show me something I've already bought?

3:44 Speaker 2: I don't know. Maybe you want to buy it again? No, maybe you need another one. I don't know.

3:49 Speaker 4: I never understand that one. Why you showing me something I already bought. Well crazy, But you know, so it comes down to privacy, right.

3:58 Speaker 1: Yeah, But the I have an unpopular opinion about that, and that is this. I'm just speaking for me personally. I couldn't care less, couldn't care less about any of it. I have no privacy to protect because guess what, none of us do anymore. I mean, come on, because this toothpaste is so far out of the tube.

4:19 Speaker 2: Who cares?

4:21 Speaker 1: Some people I know don't want What I just said is an unpopular opinion.

4:27 Speaker 2: Well, I think probably most people.

4:29 Speaker 4: Don't put the browsers in the setting that allows them to browse and do things without being cast.

4:36 Speaker 1: I'm glad you said that, because that's an easy solution. Yeah, just put it in an incognio mode and go crazy. That's all you gotta do.

4:44 Speaker 4: That.

4:44 Speaker 3: Well, now, it's easy for you to say that, but you got.

4:47 Speaker 2: To look that it's easy to do it.

4:49 Speaker 4: You've got to look at it in the legal sense of the word of how much is it not? How much is what is crossing the line? Is there a line on your privacy that you don't want cross that you do want the laws to protect because you don't want companies, you know, gathering that like do you want the local hospital to start sending you bereavement things because it got connected that you had somebody that passed.

5:15 Speaker 1: But it wouldn't offend me. I wouldn't be like, oh, this is insensitive. I can't believe I'm getting this.

5:20 Speaker 4: I but we But somebody else might be like, why not does.

5:23 Speaker 3: Anybody know this?

5:24 Speaker 2: Why not?

5:25 Speaker 1: Like I said, it's my way of looking at is it's an unpopular opinion.

5:30 Speaker 2: I just don't care. I've never cared. I don't care.

5:32 Speaker 4: You're an oddity because you're one of those people that is I am who I am as I am you. You don't have to remember his story because it's always truth, right, you know so, and that unfortunately.

5:44 Speaker 3: These days could be kind of rare.

5:46 Speaker 4: So if you're somebody that's trying to hide behind a cloud, you don't want the surveiled. Or if you mean there is a certain perspective to respect that people do have a right to privacy.

5:57 Speaker 3: People do have a right to be safe within their own environment. They have that right. So how far is it okay to let a company go?

6:07 Speaker 2: Do you have a line?

6:09 Speaker 1: So I would argue again and think this will be an unpopular opinion. People will disagree with me. But if you have if you want to have that expectation of privacy, you have to take some simple steps to do that, like putting your browser in incognito mode for example, or using a VPN. But if you like, this is the part that will be unpopular with people. I think at this point in twenty twenty six, you have no more just using your browser as is and and just looking at whatever you're looking at. You have no you should have no more greater expectation of more greater.

6:43 Speaker 1: You should have no greater expectation of privacy doing that, then you should in a public place having a conversation with someone disagree.

6:51 Speaker 4: I'm sure most people will right to be if you're in your home doing whatever it is you're doing, as long so long as it's not an illegal horrible thing, you have right to And the VPN isn't going to solve this problem because remember in the article they talked about it's collecting the IP address paige Ur. Else having a VPN doesn't matter. That VPN only hides where you are.

7:15 Speaker 2: If you put it in an incognito.

7:17 Speaker 4: You could go for incognito, But do you know whether or not this technology to get around that?

7:22 Speaker 3: Can they still look at it?

7:23 Speaker 4: And if there's no law prohibiting it, then it is legal State of New Hampshire. If it is not a law specifically saying it's illegal, then it is legal in the State.

7:33 Speaker 3: Of New Hampshire. That's how our laws are.

7:35 Speaker 4: So if there's no law that says I don't have the right to invade your privacy, and look at what did you buy off a ticket Master? When did you buy it? What venues are you going to? And can that information then be gotten out there? Can that information then be sold? Can somebody use it to surveil.

7:52 Speaker 1: To people always complained about all I don't want my information being sold that that's been going that was going on pre Internet, like if you've ever gotten a piece of junk mail that friedmation.

8:06 Speaker 3: But that doesn't make it right, that doesn't make it right. Well, no, that's not how it now listened to you. It doesn't have to be. That's how it works.

8:15 Speaker 4: It is.

8:16 Speaker 3: If that's how it works.

8:17 Speaker 4: And Ticketmaster can say that's how it works, we've got the monopoly.

8:21 Speaker 3: That's why you guys.

8:21 Speaker 4: Should just you know, sell your tickets through us and suck it up that you're getting, you know, two cents on the penny or whatever it is.

8:29 Speaker 3: You know there's I don't I don't like that.

8:32 Speaker 1: That's just like how it is like even pre internet. Like you subscribe to a magazine and you start getting offers in your mailbox for other magazines that might be interesting to you. Why does that happen because the company that you bought that magazine subscription from took your information and sold it to somebody.

8:50 Speaker 4: Ever, ninety percent of companies out there have the ability that you can say no, do not share. You have the ability to say no, do not share on a lot of these websites, a lot of these companies. You have that right to say no. So they can sell everybody else, but you sure if they do sell you, then they're violations. They're violating your privacy and they're not respecting the choice you made to say no, I don't want you to share my hell, I don't want you to know that I'm buying hemorrhoid cream or I'm buying.

9:23 Speaker 3: Athletes foot stuff.

9:25 Speaker 4: Like maybe people don't so what the other side of that coin, The unintended consequence can be as bad as somebody doesn't go get treatment for something because they're too afraid of the surveillance of somebody finding out that what that is that they have a treatment for.

9:42 Speaker 3: You gotta think worst case, best case scenario. Sure, and if the.

9:45 Speaker 4: Unintended consequences can be harmful and hurt somebody, then there is a call to say we have a right to privacy.

9:55 Speaker 2: Yeah.

9:56 Speaker 4: I don't think that just because the Internet was created that means that you lose your.

9:59 Speaker 1: Right to pri No. I just think it's no. I agree with that in principle. I just think it's uh. I think the expectator people need to adjust their expectations.

10:11 Speaker 3: But I want to know what your line is.

10:12 Speaker 4: If they're saying they're they're collecting what was that word they use, Oh, browser characteristics?

10:18 Speaker 3: What in the heck does that actually mean?

10:20 Speaker 2: I don't even know. I just I just know I personally.

10:23 Speaker 3: Would that mean accessing the camera?

10:25 Speaker 4: Oh?

10:25 Speaker 2: That would be bad.

10:26 Speaker 4: Yeah.

10:26 Speaker 1: I don't want that happening. I want some prohibiting it. And there is Oh, that's definitely against a lot of sense.

10:33 Speaker 4: Yeah, a private if what if you're using a website that utilizes your camera? If there isn't a lot of it says that website can't then take whatever you utilize that camera with and sell it to somebody.

10:46 Speaker 3: Then they get to sell it to somebody.

10:47 Speaker 4: What if I'm using an online thing to size out my eyeglasses, to buy my eyeglasses, to put in my prescription. That's my private information, whether you think it's important or not important information, that's my private that.

11:00 Speaker 2: Would be protected by hippo. Wouldn't it anywhere?

11:03 Speaker 1: No?

11:04 Speaker 4: Not?

11:05 Speaker 3: Maybe? Maybe not. I don't know.

11:06 Speaker 2: I would think it.

11:07 Speaker 1: I don't know, because it because the ceiling with an eyeglass prescription can an aspect of it.

11:12 Speaker 2: That's what I'm thinking.

11:12 Speaker 3: Can they get away with sharing any of the other stuff? I don't know.

11:16 Speaker 1: Probably I don't like who you bought the glasses from? And yeah probably yeah?

11:20 Speaker 4: You know so ticket masters some kind of what are they doing on the back end is my thing? Like okay, time stamps, they know when you're up, they know when you're buying your tickets.

11:32 Speaker 2: Yeah, they know when to send out.

11:34 Speaker 3: You know what I mean? They know it target cool? Cool?

11:38 Speaker 2: Really show me, show me what you want to sell me you want to Maybe we're.

11:42 Speaker 3: Getting closer and closer to Big Brother then.

11:45 Speaker 2: Closer and closer. We're already there, We've been there for a long time.

11:48 Speaker 4: But in the aspect of a private business, do they have the right to investigate you, to surveil you in such a way?

12:01 Speaker 2: Eh? You think I'm interesting enough? You want to investigate and surveil me, go ahead.

12:05 Speaker 3: Well that's my.

12:07 Speaker 4: That's my ass that's my personal opinion as well. But that can be my personal opinion. That doesn't mean it has to be forced to be everybody else.

12:14 Speaker 2: No, I don't I know.

12:15 Speaker 3: I have the air on the side of safety first.

12:18 Speaker 4: So the right to privacy should supersede the right for the company to be able to sell the information or to collect this data.

12:25 Speaker 3: How far deep browser characteristics means? I don't know.

12:31 Speaker 4: And could they Well here, let me throw this at you. Could they utilize any of this information against the artists? Could they collect data using these surveiled technologies that helps them buy new ways to nicol and I'm the artists, so they get even less? We have how many times we talked about how many how much money the artists don't get?

12:50 Speaker 2: Right? Yeah?

12:52 Speaker 3: Could that be utilized to do it even further?

12:54 Speaker 1: Well, if you want to look at it, so The article is up at music Business Worldwide dot com. There's a bit more to it, but but like I said Ticketmaster, they're always in trouble for something, and they're.

13:04 Speaker 4: Always trying to get more for less. So protect the artists, watch out for each other.