Jury rules Meta violated California privacy laws by quietly collecting Flo users’ menstrual health data

A California jury has found Meta in violation of state user privacy laws in a class-action suit brought by users of period tracking app, Flo, who alleged that the tech giant collected private menstrual health data without users’ consent and used it for ad-tracking purposes.

The plaintiffs, claiming to represent tens of millions of Flo users, had accused Flo and Meta of collecting private health data, like their period dates and fertility goals, via Flo’s app without permission, due to this fact violating California Invasion of Privacy Act.

Filed in 2021 against Flo, the lawsuit also named Meta, Google, and ad analytics corporations AppFlyers and Flurry, as defendants, though Google settled the case in July, and Flo also did so earlier this month.

“This verdict sends a transparent message concerning the protection of digital health data and the responsibilities of Big Tech,” said Michael P. Canty and Carol C. Villegas, lead trial attorneys within the case.

“Firms like Meta that covertly cash in on users’ most intimate information have to be held accountable. Today’s final result reinforces the elemental right to privacy—especially on the subject of sensitive health data,” they added.

Meta disagreed with the decision and said that the corporate never eavesdropped on Flo users.

“We vigorously disagree with this final result and are exploring all legal options. The plaintiffs’ claims against Meta are simply false. User privacy is essential to Meta, which is why we don’t want health or other sensitive information, and why our terms prohibit developers from sending any,” an organization spokesperson said in a press release.

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Last yr, Flo raised $200 million in Series C funding from General Atlantic at a valuation of over $1 billion.

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