This case is about phone call privacy. Customer service calls often contain sensitive personal information, like account and billing information. Increasingly, companies with busy customer service centers are implementing artificial intelligence software to handle customer service inquiries. Often, these sophisticated pieces of software are developed by third party software companies. In order to work most effectively, these A.I. software tools are designed to “listen” to the entire conversation between the customer and the customer service representative, generating a transcript and analyzing the call in real time. Consumers are often not aware that their conversations are being listened to and analyzed by software developed by third-party companies.  This claim alleges that Verizon uses this software without informing or obtaining consent from its customers before allowing the third-party software to record and analyze the call, and that Verizon’s customers reasonably expected their conversation to be only between themselves and Verizon’s customer service representatives.

The California Invasion of Privacy Act is a state law designed to protect the privacy of personal communications, including both phone and electronic communications. It prohibits unauthorized eavesdropping, recording, or intercepting of confidential communications without consent. Courts have ruled that this law applies to electronic communications as well, ensuring broad protection of privacy in various forms of communication. For more details, you can view the statutory text here.

The Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act (“WESCA”) is a state law designed to regulate the interception and recording of oral, wire, and electronic communications in the state of Pennsylvania. It prohibits unauthorized eavesdropping, recording, or intercepting of confidential communications without consent. Courts have ruled that this law applies to electronic communications as well. For more details, you can view the statutory text here.