Myspace Class Action Suit Target for Allegedly Sharing Personal Data

Image via CrunchBaseBrooklyn resident and Myspace member Linda Virtue has her name attached as plaintiff to a 13-count class-action suit filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based social media platform for allegedly sharing members' personal data and Internet browsing histories with aggregators without the members' approval.

The 33-page complaint in Virtue v. Myspace, Inc (Case No. 11-cv-1800) includes counts alleging common law claims, such as conversion, breach of contract, breach of the implied warranty of good faith and fair dealing, and invasion of privacy, along with violation of the Stored Data Communications Act [18 U.S.C. sec. 2701 et seq.] and unfair and fraudulent business practices. According to Bloomberg News, the plaintiffs contend that Myspace provides the names and browsing history of users to aggregators while at the same time assuring members they can restrict access to their personal information.

Nothing like kicking Myspace when it's down. According to the Bloomberg article, Myspace traffic plunged 29 percent in February to 62.6 million visitors worldwide, compared to 88 million global visitors in 2010.  Myspace owner News Corp. reportedly is looking to unload the social media platform to online music Website www.Vevo.com