Penalty Amount
$400,000
Consumers Affected
400,000
Dataium settled allegations that it used history sniffing to track consumers' online browsing without consent and sold personal data of 400,000 consumers to a data broker without notice. The settlement imposes a $400,000 monetary penalty, requires a privacy program, and mandates transparency and opt-out mechanisms.
Dataium must pay $400,000 (with $301,000 suspended subject to compliance), implement a privacy program, post clear privacy notices on its website, and cease collecting browsing history without explicit disclosure and an opt-out option.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements with data analytics or data broker companies, customer contracts involving data collection, and data processing addendums. Specific clauses to scrutinize include data sharing provisions, consent mechanisms for online tracking (e.g., web tracking or history sniffing), privacy notice integrations, opt-out requirements, and third-party data transfer terms. Changes may be needed to mandate explicit consent for tracking practices, require clear disclosure of personal data sales to entities like data brokers, and enforce robust opt-out mechanisms to align with privacy laws and settlement mandates.
Entity
Dataium
Industry
TechnologyOfficial Press Release
https://www.njoag.gov/acting-attorney-general-announces-settlement-resolving-allegations-data-company-engaged-in-online-aeoehistory-sniffingae%c2%9d-data-analytics-firm-serving-auto-industry-allegedly-tracked-consumers/
New Jersey Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.njoag.gov/about/divisions-and-offices/division-of-consumer-affairs/
"Dataium, a Tennessee-based data analytics company"
"Dataium has agreed to a $400,000 payment to the State"
"violate the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act."
"Dataium allegedly used software code to track the Web sites visited by consumers without their knowledge or consent."
"sold the personal identifying information of 400,000 consumers to Acxiom without notice to those consumers."
"400,000 consumers"
$18.0M
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport joined a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general in announcing a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for 23andMe, resolving allegations from a 2023 data breach that compromised genetic data of 6.9 million people worldwide, including nearly 150,000 in New Jersey. The settlement provides $18 million to states from available bankruptcy funds, plus enhanced data security and consumer deletion rights for the successor entity, 23andMe Research Institute.
$45.0M
Block, Inc. agreed to a $45 million multistate settlement with 46 states for allegedly misleading consumers about the safety of Cash App, failing to protect users from fraud, and not providing promised fraud protection. The settlement requires Block to improve customer support, stop misleading claims, and educate consumers about fraud.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport co-led a coalition of 49 attorneys general in calling on the FCC to strengthen rules to cut off scammers' access to legitimate telephone numbers. The coalition's letter requests stronger certification rules, regular reporting, and prohibitions on number cycling to combat illegal robocalls.
Governor Sherrill and Attorney General Davenport announced coordinated executive actions to reduce and eliminate junk fees in New Jersey. The initiative includes an Executive Order directing state agencies to review industries for junk fees and an Enforcement Statement from the Division of Consumer Affairs explaining how junk fee practices may violate the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.
The New Jersey Bureau of Securities announced its 2026 annual investment adviser examination, with a particular focus on firms' use of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity protocols. The examination requires nearly 800 registered investment adviser firms to answer questions about AI use in portfolio management, data protection policies, and third-party vendor due diligence. Failure to comply may result in administrative action.
The New Jersey Bureau of Securities filed a lawsuit against Xiao Hu (aka Mark Hu) and his companies Skyline Technology USA LLC and Thunderbirds.ME, Inc. for allegedly defrauding at least 15 investors out of $2.5 million through unregistered securities offerings. Hu allegedly misappropriated at least $280,000 for personal expenses including a home purchase and vacation, and falsely claimed to have a Ph.D. from Columbia University.