Ticketmaster surveillance lawsuit

Photo Credit: Jürgen Jester

Ticketmaster faces even more litigation, this time in the form of a class action alleging its website employs illegal tracking and surveillance tools.

Most litigation against Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation in recent months has primarily focused on market dominance and so-called “junk fees.” But a newly proposed class action accuses the company of employing tracking and surveillance tools on its website in violation of California privacy laws.

The complaint, filed in California federal court this week, claims that Ticketmaster’s advertising and analytics trackers operate as unauthorized surveillance tools under the California Invasion of Privacy Act. Plaintiffs argue that these trackers covertly monitor user behavior without proper consent and capture sensitive data about browsing habits, preferences, and potentially personal information during ticket purchases.

The proposed class action seeks to represent California users affected by these practices, demanding damages, injunctive relief, and an end to the tracking mechanisms going forward.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation have faced mounting legal challenges over privacy and consumer practices. The latest filing just builds on broader scrutiny over the live event and ticketing giant’s data practices amid prior breaches that exposed millions of users’ info.

This complaint echoes earlier criticisms, including FTC action on deceptive pricing involving fees hidden until checkout, which inflated costs by up to 44%. Other class actions have targeted data breaches like that in 2024, which affected 560 million users’ names, emails, and partial card details.

Meanwhile, Ticketmaster and Live Nation face antitrust claims of monopolizing ticketing, allowing brokers to bypass limits with tools such as TradeDesk to secure resale profits. In December 2025, a nationwide class action moved forward that alleges overcharging for 400 million tickets since the two companies merged in 2010. Earlier this month, a similar class action was approved in Quebec.

Should the latest proposed class action receive certification, the litigation could ultimately lead to Ticketmaster being forced to overhaul website analytics, disclose trackers transparently, and pay statutory penalties under California’s privacy statutes. It and other cases like it illustrate increasing privacy concerns against tech-embedded commerce platforms, potentially influencing industry standards among broader FTC and state probes.