'Trap And Trace' Lawsuit Claims Toyota Illegally Tracked Customers
Toyota faces a class-action lawsuit alleging it secretly tracked website visitors despite declined cookies and sold their data.Summary
A class action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court accuses Toyota of installing tracking technology on users devices even when they declined cookie consent on the company website. Lead plaintiff Brittany Conner alleges that Toyota collected her online activity and used it to send targeted marketing and advertising without her knowledge or permission. The suit notes that this is not the first time Toyota has faced similar allegations; in January 2026 a plaintiff claimed the automaker sold driving data to insurance companies. The lawsuit relies on California's Invasion of Privacy Act which defines trap and trace tactics as illegal without a court order, a law that has been applied to website tracking in recent years. The article notes a surge in such cases with over 800 claims filed under CIPA in 2025 and cites settlements involving Google the Los Angeles Times and Forbes for similar privacy violations.
(Source：SlashGear)