A California jury found Meta violated state user privacy laws in a class-action suit from period tracking app Flo users. They alleged the tech giant collected private menstrual health data without consent for ad-tracking purposes.
Plaintiffs, representing millions of Flo users, accused Flo and Meta of collecting private health data, including period dates and fertility goals, through Flo’s app without permission, infringing upon the California Invasion of Privacy Act.
The lawsuit, filed in 2021, initially named Flo, Meta, Google, and ad analytics companies AppsFlyer and Flurry as defendants. Google settled its part of the case in July, with Flo settling earlier in the current month.
Michael P. Canty and Carol C. Villegas, lead trial attorneys for the plaintiffs, stated, “This verdict sends a clear message about the protection of digital health data and the responsibilities of Big Tech.” They added, “Companies like Meta that covertly profit from users’ most intimate information must be held accountable. Today’s outcome reinforces the fundamental right to privacy — especially when it comes to sensitive health data.”
Meta expressed disagreement with the verdict, stating the company did not eavesdrop on Flo users. A Meta spokesperson said in a statement, “We vigorously disagree with this outcome and are exploring all legal options. The plaintiffs’ claims against Meta are simply false. User privacy is important to Meta, which is why we do not want health or other sensitive information, and why our terms prohibit developers from sending any.”
Last year, Flo secured $200 million in Series C funding from General Atlantic, achieving a valuation exceeding $1 billion.
