In a decision Monday, a U.S. appeals court ruled that Californian Brandon Briskin can sue the Canadian commerce company in his home state. “This ruling attacks the basics of how the internet works,” Shopify spokesperson Ben McConaghy said, claiming it will drag online businesses “into distant courtrooms regardless of where they actually operate.” (The Logic)

Talking point: Briskin alleges that Shopify installed cookies on his phone without consent when he bought clothes from one of its clients, and that the firm then used the trackers to create a consumer profile that the firm then marketed to other merchants. This, he says, violates California privacy laws. “Shopify does not unlawfully extract personal data,” McConaghy said. Briskin’s claims haven’t been proven in court; the appeals court ruling just establishes he can make them in California. Shopify argued unsuccessfully that he can instead sue the firm in New York or Delaware, where its U.S. business is based.