CNN Privacy Suit Moves Forward Over Data Sharing Allegations

A federal judge denied CNN's dismissal bid in a privacy suit over alleged data sharing with Microsoft and adtech firms.

CNN must face a class-action privacy lawsuit after U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero on April 9, 2026 declined to dismiss claims of unauthorized data sharing tied to its website’s tracking tools.

• The suit, filed by Anthony D'Antonio, alleges CNN embedded tracking code from Microsoft, PubMatic, and OpenX on its website, enabling the collection of users' IP addresses and device identifiers without their consent.
• According to the complaint, this data was subsequently shared with data brokers and advertisers, such as Jaguar Land Rover, to create targeted advertising campaigns.
• Judge Marrero's ruling held that the plaintiff sufficiently alleged a concrete injury, allowing for possible relief under the California Invasion of Privacy Act’s pen-register provisions.

The case, D'Antonio v. Cable News Network, Inc., No. 1:24-cv-03132 (S.D.N.Y.), underscores growing judicial scrutiny of data privacy practices in the media and advertising sectors.

This litigation adds weight to a broader set of legal challenges targeting website tracking technologies and the boundaries of permissible data sharing in digital advertising. The outcome could set important precedents for companies reliant on adtech partnerships for monetization.

For legal and compliance teams, the ongoing proceedings underscore the importance of evaluating current tracking and data sharing practices for alignment with evolving interpretations of privacy law.