The FCC announced last week that it reached a settlement with Verizon Wireless (“Verizon”) over its use of “supercookies.” More specifically, the FCC alleged that Verizon inserted unique identifiers into the headers of its customers’ HTTP requests to support its targeted advertising programs, and that customers had not consented to this practice. In this post, we analyze the settlement and some of its unique features.

In re: Google Inc. Cookie Placement Consumer Privacy Litigation, involves 24 consolidated lawsuits that were initially brought against several internet advertisers alleging violations of various state and federal privacy statutes, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Wiretap Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. In October of 2013, the District of Delaware dismissed the consolidated case, finding that “that plaintiffs have not alleged injury-in-fact sufficient to confer Article III standing” and that they had failed to “[plead] sufficient facts to establish a plausible invasion of the rights” under various statutes asserted in the complaints. However, on November 10, 2015, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order restoring some of the plaintiffs’ claims alleging that Google’s internet tracking practices violate California’s Constitution and state privacy laws.