What is vppa (video privacy protection act)?
The VPPA is a 1988 federal law barring video rental and similar service providers from disclosing a consumer's video-viewing history without consent, originally passed after a newspaper published a Supreme Court nominee's video rental records. It has been repurposed since 2022 into a wave of class actions against websites that embed tracking pixels sharing video-viewing activity with ad platforms without adequate consent.
This area of law is changing. The description below reflects the position as of 2026-08-22. Check the sources before relying on it.
As of August 2026, the law's reach is unsettled: federal appeals courts disagree over who counts as a covered 'consumer,' with some circuits reading it narrowly to require that a person actually paid for or subscribed to audiovisual content. The U.S. Supreme Court granted review in January 2026 in Salazar v. Paramount Global to resolve that split, with argument expected during its October 2026 term — meaning the scope of VPPA liability for ordinary website video content could change substantially once the Court rules.
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Last reviewed 2026-08-22.