Brand, et al. v. The University of Phoenix, Inc.
Summary
The court-authorized website reports a settlement in a class action alleging that the University of Phoenix disclosed students’ personally identifiable information to Meta and other third parties without consent; the defendant denies wrongdoing. Subject to court approval, valid claimants would receive $25, with possible pro rata reduction if the $8.75 million gross maximum funding amount is reached, and the defendant would provide website cookie notices through a banner and its privacy policy. Final approval is scheduled for November 20, 2026.
Litigation Status
Procedural Posture
Class action settlement reached, subject to court approval. The final approval hearing is scheduled for November 20, 2026; claim, exclusion, and objection deadlines are November 5, 2026.
Reported Holding
The FAQ describes a proposed class settlement, not a merits holding or final settlement approval.
What the Court Decided
The excerpt states that a court authorized the settlement website; it does not describe a merits ruling or final settlement approval.
What the Court Did Not Decide
The excerpt does not report a determination of liability or final approval of the settlement.
Significance
Neutral / mixed significance. Characterizations of significance describe how the matter has generally been discussed in tracked public sources; individual holdings are often narrow, procedural, or fact-specific, and this page does not state or imply broader holdings than the sources support.
What This Page Does and Does Not Say
This page reports what our tracked public sources say about this matter — including, where identified, the procedural posture (for example, a ruling on a motion to dismiss is not a final merits decision). It does not report legal conclusions beyond those sources, does not predict outcomes, and does not constitute legal advice.
Technologies at Issue
- Pixels
- Cookies
- Similar website tracking tools
- Pixels, as identified in the settlement title
- Similar website tools
Third parties named or identified in tracked sources: Meta Platforms, Inc..
Statutes Invoked
- Video Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2710 et seq.; Electronic Communications and Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2510 et seq.; Illinois Eavesdropping Act, 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/14-1 et seq.
- Video Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2710 et seq.; Electronic Communications and Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2510 et seq. (as identified on the page); Illinois Eavesdropping Act, 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/14-1 et seq.
Claims Asserted
- Alleged disclosure of students' personally identifiable information to Meta Platforms, Inc. and other third parties without consent
- Video Privacy Protection Act claim
- Electronic Communications and Privacy Act claim
- Illinois Eavesdropping Act claim
- Alleged disclosure of students’ personally identifiable information to Meta Platforms, Inc. and other third parties without consent
- Electronic Communications and Privacy Act claim, as named on the page
- Video Privacy Protection Act claims
- Electronic Communications and Privacy Act claims
- Illinois Eavesdropping Act claims
What This Matter May Mean for Website Operators
Federal Wiretap Act (ECPA Title I) is a one-party consent statute with a private right of action. Consent standard and private enforceability are the structural features that most shape where website tracking claims are filed and how they are valued.
For operators using similar technologies, the recurring factual questions in matters like this one are whether advertising pixels transmit page URLs or hashed form data before a consent choice. Our scanner tests these behaviors empirically.
Because this matter is pending, anything reported here is procedural — allegations and interim rulings, not final determinations.
Detection of a similar technology on a website is an informational risk indicator, not a legal conclusion, and nothing in this section is legal advice.
Related Intelligence
Sources
- University of Phoenix Pixel Settlement — Brand, et al. v. The University of Phoenix, Inc.
- University of Phoenix Pixel Settlement — Frequently Asked Questions: Brand, et al. v. The University of Phoenix, Inc.
- University of Phoenix Pixel Settlement — Brand, et al. v. The University of Phoenix, Inc.
- University of Phoenix Pixel Settlement — Frequently Asked Questions
About This Page
Publisher: Inspection-Ready Institute, Inc. (DBA Crandall Consulting), an independent website compliance and risk consultancy. We are not a law firm and nothing on this page is legal advice.
How this content is produced: Facts are extracted from publicly available sources — court and government materials, recognized legal press, professional analysis, and industry reports — by our litigation intelligence engine, stored with full source provenance, and rendered from the database. Risk guidelines are computed by a deterministic formula, never by an AI model directly. See the full methodology.
Limitations: Counts labeled "Tracked" reflect matters identified in our source set and are not official court statistics. We report what courts decided and did not decide; we do not predict outcomes.
Corrections: If you believe anything on this page is inaccurate, contact us via the contact page and we will review the underlying sources promptly.
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