ud ence ▁origin ated ▁with ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁priv acy ▁class ▁actions ▁in ▁the ▁mid ▁ 2 0 0 0 ' s . ▁An ▁arch a ic ▁stat ute , ▁created ▁merely ▁to ▁stop ▁video ▁prov iders ▁from ▁re le asing ▁information ▁about ▁a ▁person ' s ▁view ing ▁hab its , ▁related ▁to ▁technology ▁developed ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 ' s , ▁IE ., ▁Bet am ax , ▁video ▁c ass ettes , ▁and ▁V HS . ▁In ▁the ▁mid ▁ 2 0 0 0 ' s , ▁Att orney ▁Joseph ▁H . ▁Mal ley , ▁( L aw ▁Off ices ▁of ▁Joseph ▁H . ▁Mal ley , ▁PC ., ▁Dallas ▁Texas ) ▁sought ▁to ▁develop ▁a ▁lit ig ation ▁strategy ▁for ▁" online " ▁priv acy ▁viol ations ▁involving ▁computing ▁devices . ▁Ext ensive ▁research ▁was ▁conducted ▁for ▁an ▁extended ▁period ▁to ▁find ▁state ▁and ▁federal ▁stat utes ▁that ▁related ▁to ▁modern ▁technology , ▁a ▁task ▁that ▁yield ed ▁few ▁results . ▁Se izing ▁upon ▁an ▁interpretation ▁of ▁V P PA ▁that ▁appeared ▁to ▁be ▁related ▁partially ▁to ▁present ▁day ▁technology , ▁V P PA ▁as ▁a ▁cause ▁of ▁action ▁was ▁" test ed " ▁in ▁the ▁courts . ▁The ▁largest ▁case ▁initially ▁tried ▁involved ▁about ▁ 3 0 0 ▁million ▁consum ers ▁and ▁involved ▁a ▁" new " ▁company ▁called ▁Facebook . ▁Att orney ▁Mal ley ▁file d ▁a ▁Federal ▁Class ▁Action ▁against ▁Facebook , ▁and ▁thirty - three ▁companies , ▁including ▁Block b uster , ▁Z