Alleged data privacy violations to be settled by Google, Flo Health for $56M

Google and menstrual tracking app Flo Health have denied allegations they have been improperly sharing users' sensitive health data as they agreed to a $56 million combined settlement to resolve the lawsuit, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

The settlement, which includes contributions of $48 million and $8 million from Google and Flo, respectively, stems from allegations that the latter shared personal details, such as sexual activity and menstrual data, through software that allowed outside companies, including Flurry, Google, and Meta, to access user communications without consent.

Plaintiff Erica Frasko filed the initial claims in 2021, which were later merged with other complaints. Google's settlement will fund Flo users who entered menstruation or pregnancy information into the app between November 2016 and February 2019. The analytics firm Flurry reached a separate $3.5 million settlement in March.

"The Settlements allow the parties to avoid the risks and costs of lengthy litigation and the uncertainty of additional pre-trial proceedings, a trial, and/or appeals," according to a notice for potential claimants.