An online ticket marketplace for concerts, sports and theater will pay $85,000 as part of a settlement with the state of Connecticut after an investigation into violations of data privacy laws, particularly the company’s privacy notice.
In a settlement with Attorney General William Tong, South Windsor-based TicketNetwork, Inc. also agreed to maintain metrics of consumer rights requests made under the law and provide a report of those metrics to Tong’s office.
Connecticut’s consumer data privacy law went into effect on July 1, 2023. The law requires covered businesses to maintain a privacy notice that clearly describes what rights Connecticut consumers have under the law.
At the core of the law is transparency rights that give consumers insight into the collection, use and sharing of their personal data, what their data rights are and how they can exercise those rights.
According to a statement from Tong, TicketNetwork did not correct deficiencies in its privacy notice until well after they were required. Tong’s office first sent notice to TicketNetwork on the matter in November, 2023, according to the statement.
Tong said TicketNetwork’s privacy notice was largely unreadable, missing key data rights and contained rights mechanisms that were misconfigured or inoperable. In addition, TicketNetwork was the only entity that repeatedly represented that they resolved deficiencies when they had not done so and failed to timely respond to a follow-up correspondence, Tong said.
“The Connecticut Data Privacy Act gives consumers powerful baseline rights, including the right to access, correct, and delete personal data stored and collected by businesses, and the right to opt-out of the sale of personal data and targeted advertising,” Tong said.
“Covered businesses must maintain clear privacy notices that describe these rights. This law has now been in effect for two years. There is no excuse for continued non-compliance, and we are prepared to use the full weight of our enforcement authority to protect consumer privacy.”
In a statement, TicketNetwork said the agreement focuses on the format of TicketNetwork’s online privacy policy, making the policy easier for consumers to find and understand.
Key updates on TicketNetwork.com are:
A dedicated privacy policy page separate from other legal disclosures.
Clear section headings, increased font size, and shorter paragraphs for readability.
A streamlined consumer rights center that makes it simple to submit or appeal requests under the Connecticut Data Privacy Act.
Prominent links allowing Connecticut residents to opt out of targeted advertising or the sale of personal data.
TicketNetwork said the changes underscore its commitment to transparency.
TicketNetwork said it will continue to review its privacy notice at least annually, and if there are “material” changes to data practices, they will be in line with the state’s data privacy laws and other privacy regulations.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.