Judge Strikes Down NYC Customer Data Law

A federal judge has ruled that a New York City law mandating food delivery companies to share customer data with restaurants is unconstitutional, citing violations of the First Amendment rights of both customers and delivery services. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres stated the law improperly regulated commercial speech and posed significant privacy risks, as it required the disclosure of personal information such as full names, addresses, and contact details. The ruling favored major delivery platforms like DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats, which argued the law could lead to exploitation and harm customer data security. Introduced in 2021 to aid restaurants recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the law was never enforced during the ongoing litigation. Judge Torres pointed out that the city failed to demonstrate a substantial interest in enforcing the law and noted less intrusive alternatives could have been implemented. The city is currently reviewing the ruling for potential appeal, with implications for ongoing discussions about data privacy in the food delivery sector.