Bit Parts

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, ruled that the Cartoon Network's release to a data analytics company of the Android IDs of users of the channel's mobile application didn't violate the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), 18 U.S.C. '2710 (http://bit.ly/WwBqDG). Ellis v. Cartoon Network Inc. (CN), 1:14-CV-484. Class action plaintiff and CN mobile app user Mark Ellis claimed his Android ID was “personally identifiable information” under the VPPA that he never consented to Cartoon Network releasing. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. did find Ellis was a “subscriber” under the VPPA by noting that Ellis “downloaded the CN App and used it to watch video clips. His Android ID and viewing history were transmitted [by CN] to Bango [a U.K. data analytics firm]. These facts suffice to qualify the Plaintiff as a 'subscriber,' and as such, a 'consumer.'” But Judge Thrash then concluded in dismissing the suit: “The Android ID is a randomly generated number that is unique to each user and device. It is not, however, akin to a name. Without more, an Android ID does not identify a specific person. As the Plaintiff admits, to connect Android IDs with names, Bango had to use information 'collected from a variety of other sources.'”

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