TED Video Privacy (VPPA) Class Action Settlement
TED Video Privacy (VPPA) Class Action Settlement
TED Foundation Inc., the nonprofit behind TED Talks, agreed to settle a class action alleging it shared TED.com and TED app users' video-viewing information with third-party analytics providers without consent, in violation of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act. Anyone in the United States who held a TED account and watched a pre-recorded video on TED.com or the TED iOS or Android app between October 19, 2021 and July 14, 2026 will automatically receive two free months of TED Membership (about a $10 value), or can instead file a claim for a $5 cash payment with no documentation, paid from a fund capped at $350,000. Claims are due October 26, 2026.
Settlement fund
$350K cash cap
Common fund
Top payout
$5 cash
No proof needed, or 2 free months of TED Membership (~$10 value)
Claim deadline
Oct 26, 2026
47 days remaining
You may be owed money
Filing is free and takes a few minutes. Deadline: Oct 26, 2026.
Do you qualify?
You are a Class Member if ALL of the following apply:
- You were a TED account holder in the United States at some point between October 19, 2021 and July 14, 2026.
- During that period you watched a pre-recorded video on TED.com or on TED's iOS or Android mobile app while logged in to your account.
- No documentation is required. You do not need to file anything to receive the two free months of TED Membership; you only need to file a Claim Form if you want the $5 cash payment (or the donation option) instead.
- Excluded: TED Foundation Inc. and its officers, directors, and employees; the judge presiding over the case; and anyone who submits a valid request for exclusion by October 26, 2026. Check the Settlement Agreement for the full list of exclusions.
Not sure if you qualify? Call the Settlement Administrator toll-free at 1-888-312-3966, write to TED Settlement Administrator, 1060 Broadway, Suite 310, Albany, NY 12204, or visit TEDVPPASettlement.com.
What happened
Plaintiffs Kimberly Sutton, David Ramirez, and Tyler Baker filed this class action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging that TED Foundation Inc. violated the Video Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2710, by disclosing account holders' personally identifiable information, including data identifying the specific videos they watched, to third-party analytics and marketing service providers such as Mixpanel, Open Web, and Leanplum without the informed, written consent the VPPA requires. The VPPA prohibits a video service provider from knowingly disclosing information that identifies a person as having requested or obtained specific video materials.
TED denies any wrongdoing and denies that it violated any law. It maintains that it never disclosed account holders' names or email addresses together with their video views, that the data shared with third parties was encrypted and encoded so it was not legible to an ordinary person, and that its use of third-party software for internal operations falls within the VPPA's ordinary-course-of-business exception. The Court has not decided who is right, and the parties agreed to settle to avoid the cost and uncertainty of continued litigation. As part of the settlement, TED has agreed to present U.S. account holders with an affirmative consent option before their event data is sent to Open Web, to stop transmitting U.S. account holders' names and email addresses to Mixpanel and to use reasonable efforts to delete existing such data there, and has confirmed it no longer uses Leanplum.
How to file a claim
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1. Confirm you are eligible
You qualify if you had a TED account in the United States and watched a pre-recorded video on TED.com or the TED iOS or Android app between October 19, 2021 and July 14, 2026. TED's records identify account holders, and notice was sent by email to the address on your account, so if you received an email about the settlement you are in the class.
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2. Choose your benefit
You have three options. If you do nothing, you automatically receive two free months of TED Membership (estimated to be worth at least $10), which you must activate when the link arrives. If you would rather have cash, file a Claim Form for a $5 payment; TED will pay up to $350,000 total in cash, so if more than about 70,000 people choose cash, every payment is reduced by the same percentage. The third option is to file a claim directing your $5 to TED as a donation (TED is a 501(c)(3), so consult a tax advisor about deductibility). Choosing cash or the donation means you do not receive the membership benefit.
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3. File online or by mail
Submit the Claim Form online at TEDVPPASettlement.com by 11:59 p.m. on October 26, 2026, or print the paper Claim Form from the Documents page and mail it (postmarked by October 26, 2026) to: TED Settlement Administrator, 1060 Broadway, Suite 310, Albany, NY 12204. The Long Form Notice, Settlement Agreement, and Preliminary Approval Order are posted at TEDVPPASettlement.com/documents.
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4. Receive your payment
Benefits are distributed about 60 days after the Court grants final approval at the November 12, 2026 Final Approval Hearing and any appeals are resolved. Class members who did not file a claim receive an email link to activate the two-month TED Membership. Cash claimants are paid by check unless they chose PayPal or Venmo on the Claim Form; checks expire 180 days after issuance. Donations are remitted to TED on the same schedule.
Key dates
- Oct 26, 2026 Opt-out & objection deadline Upcoming
- Oct 26, 2026 Claim filing deadline Upcoming
- Nov 12, 2026 Final Fairness Hearing (3:00 p.m. ET, in person (New York, NY)) Upcoming
- TBD after final approval Payments issued to claimants Pending
The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled for November 12, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern before Judge Dale E. Ho in Courtroom 905, Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, 40 Foley Square, New York, NY 10007. The hearing may be moved without notice, so check TEDVPPASettlement.com or call 1-888-312-3966 before traveling.
Where the money is going
This is a claims-made settlement, not a common fund. TED pays each valid cash claim $5 up to a total cap of $350,000, with pro rata reductions only if claims exceed the cap. Attorneys' fees, expenses, and settlement administration costs (up to $700,000 combined) and the Class Representative incentive awards are paid by TED separately and do not reduce class member payments. The two-month TED Membership benefit is provided directly by TED and is not capped.
All amounts listed above are pending and subject to final court approval at the November 12, 2026 Final Approval Hearing. The Court may award less than the fees and incentive awards requested. Because fees and costs are paid by TED on top of the $350,000 cash cap, they do not come out of class member payments.
Common questions
How much money will I receive?
It depends on the option you choose. Do nothing and you receive two free months of TED Membership, estimated at a $10 value, which you must activate when the link arrives. File a claim for cash and you receive $5, unless total cash claims exceed the $350,000 cap, in which case every cash payment is reduced by the same percentage (that happens only if more than roughly 70,000 people choose cash). You cannot receive both the membership and the cash. The donation option sends your $5 to TED instead of to you.
Do I need to submit proof of purchase?
No. There is no documentation requirement for any option. The class is drawn from TED's own account records, and the Claim Form only asks you to confirm your account information and choose cash or donation. You do not need to prove which videos you watched or when.
What if I didn’t receive a notice?
You can still file. Notice was sent by email to the address on your TED account, so the email may have gone to an old address or a spam folder. If you had a U.S. TED account and watched a pre-recorded video on TED.com or the TED app between October 19, 2021 and July 14, 2026, submit a claim online at TEDVPPASettlement.com or call the Settlement Administrator at 1-888-312-3966 with questions about your eligibility.
Does staying in the class affect my right to sue later?
Yes. Unless you mail or deliver a signed request for exclusion to TED Settlement Administrator, 1060 Broadway, Suite 310, Albany, NY 12204 by October 26, 2026, you remain in the Settlement Class and release TED and its affiliates from the VPPA and related claims about the disclosure of your video-viewing information that this settlement resolves. That is true whether you take the membership, the cash, or the donation option. If you exclude yourself, you receive nothing from the settlement but keep your right to sue TED on your own. The full release is in Sections 1 and 3 of the Settlement Agreement posted on the settlement website.
When will payments be sent out?
The Court will hold the Final Approval Hearing on November 12, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern in Manhattan. If the settlement is approved, benefits go out about 60 days after final approval and the end of any appeals. Membership activation links are emailed, cash is paid by check (or PayPal or Venmo if you selected one on the Claim Form), and checks are void 180 days after issuance. Donations are remitted to TED on the same timeline.
Dapeer Law, P.A.
Consumer class action attorneys based in South Florida. We track settlements so you don’t have to.
Similar open settlements
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Dapeer Law, P.A. is not the administrator of this settlement and is not affiliated with TED Foundation Inc., TED Settlement Administrator (the Settlement Administrator), or Class Counsel Bursor & Fisher, P.A. of Class Counsel. The case is Sutton v. TED Foundation Inc., Case No. 1:23-cv-09219-DEH, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York before the Honorable Dale E. Ho. Class representatives are Kimberly Sutton, David Ramirez, and Tyler Baker. TED denies wrongdoing. This website is attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.