A California jury found Meta violated state user privacy laws in a class-action suit by users of the Flo period tracking app, alleging the tech giant collected menstrual health data without consent for ad tracking. The plaintiffs, representing millions of Flo users, accused Flo and Meta of illegally gathering private health data like period dates and fertility goals, breaching the California Invasion of Privacy Act.
Filed in 2021, the lawsuit also included Meta, Google, AppFlyers, and Flurry, with Google settling in July and Flo earlier this month.
“This verdict emphasizes the importance of digital health data protection and Big Tech’s responsibilities,” stated lead trial attorneys Michael P. Canty and Carol C. Villegas. “Today’s outcome upholds the fundamental right to privacy regarding sensitive health data,” they added.
Meta disagreed with the verdict, denying any surveillance of Flo users. “We strongly oppose this outcome and are exploring legal options. The claims against Meta are false. User privacy is crucial to us, which is why we prohibit developers from sending sensitive information,” a company spokesperson stated.
Last year, Flo raised $200 million in Series C funding from General Atlantic, valuing the company at over $1 billion.