FTC sues Hims & Hers for alleged deceptive privacy practices and data sharing

TechCrunch reports that the Federal Trade Commission is suing healthcare company Hims & Hers for allegedly sharing sensitive customer medical and healthcare information with advertisers and tech giants like Meta and Snap, while also misleading consumers about its privacy practices.

The lawsuit alleges that Hims & Hers placed pixel-sized trackers from Meta, Snap, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit and X on its website. These trackers, according to the FTC, captured and shared users' health information, contradicting the company's own privacy policy. The FTC also claims Hims & Hers used Meta's tools to track user actions on its website and engaged in deceptive billing practices, making it difficult for customers to cancel services.

Hims & Hers has stated it is confident in its position and plans to defend against the allegations. This action follows similar FTC crackdowns on companies like Cerebral, Monument, GoodRx, and BetterHelp for allegedly mishandling sensitive patient data by sharing it with third-party tech companies and advertisers. The use of such trackers has previously highlighted how sensitive data can be inadvertently collected and shared.

Source: TechCrunch