US marketers forced to adapt data collection methods
Marketing professionals in the US are being forced to alter their data collection strategies following a recent ruling from the California Supreme Court.
The ruling that online retailer Williams-Sonoma can no longer collect ZIP codes during credit card transactions has sparked concerns among other firms that it will impact their data collection methods.
"We're shocked - we never expected a ruling that ZIP codes were personal information," Bill Dombrowski, president of the California Retailers Association, told DM News.
The highest court in California ruled in favor of a plaintiff, who filed a suit which claimed that Williams-Sonoma used customer ZIP codes to find home addresses, market to consumers and then sold that data to other businesses.
According to the decision, the firm violated the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971, which prohibits retailers from gathering customers' personal identification information during a credit card transaction.
Since the ruling, more than 100 similar class action suits have been filed against dozens of other retailers
Posted by Paul Newman
The ruling that online retailer Williams-Sonoma can no longer collect ZIP codes during credit card transactions has sparked concerns among other firms that it will impact their data collection methods.
"We're shocked - we never expected a ruling that ZIP codes were personal information," Bill Dombrowski, president of the California Retailers Association, told DM News.
The highest court in California ruled in favor of a plaintiff, who filed a suit which claimed that Williams-Sonoma used customer ZIP codes to find home addresses, market to consumers and then sold that data to other businesses.
According to the decision, the firm violated the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971, which prohibits retailers from gathering customers' personal identification information during a credit card transaction.
Since the ruling, more than 100 similar class action suits have been filed against dozens of other retailers
Posted by Paul Newman
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