FTC Sues Hims & Hers Over Alleged Sharing of Patients’ Medical Data With Meta and Snap

The Federal Trade Commission is suing Hims & Hers, alleging the telehealth company shared customers’ sensitive medical and health data with advertising and tech firms including Meta and Snap while misleading users about its privacy practices.

The case is part of a broader push by the agency against healthcare companies accused of passing sensitive patient information to third parties without clear user understanding.

Hims & Hers, a publicly traded telehealth provider, offers prescription treatments in areas such as sexual health, mental health, and weight loss, handling large volumes of sensitive personal data.

FTC says tracking tools collected health data

Websites often use tracking tools to measure user behaviour and advertising performance, sending data to platforms like Meta and Snap.

In a complaint filed in California federal court, the FTC said Hims & Hers used pixel tracking tools from Meta, Snap, and other tech firms.

Those companies also included Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, and X, according to the agency.

The FTC alleges the trackers “captured and shared users’ health information” despite the company’s privacy policy.

It also claims Hims & Hers used Meta tools to track user clicks and other on-site activity.

Such tools are widely used for advertising, but regulators have raised concerns about their use on healthcare sites where browsing behaviour may reveal sensitive medical information.

The company is also accused of billing issues

The FTC’s complaint also includes allegations of deceptive billing practices and claims the company made cancellation unnecessarily difficult.

The agency says these practices violated federal consumer protection laws.

Hims & Hers did not directly deny the allegations. Still, they said its privacy policy allows users to control how their data is used and that it remains confident in its position.

The company said it plans to defend itself against the lawsuit.

FTC scrutiny of healthcare data practices continues

The case follows earlier FTC actions against companies including Cerebral, Monument, GoodRx, and BetterHelp over similar data-sharing concerns.

These cases involve allegations that sensitive health information was transmitted to advertising platforms through website tracking tools.

Pixel trackers collect user interaction data and send it to third-party tech providers, often for advertising purposes.

However, improper use of these tools can expose personal information in ways users do not expect.

In 2024, the U.S. Postal Service was found to have shared users’ home addresses with Meta, LinkedIn, and Snap via tracking pixels before removing the code.

The FTC’s case against Hims & Hers adds to growing scrutiny of how healthcare companies collect and share sensitive consumer data online.