FTC Sues Hims & Hers Over Alleged Unauthorized Sharing of Sensitive Health Data
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against telehealth provider Hims & Hers, accusing the company of sharing customers’ medical and healthcare data with advertisers and tech platforms including Meta, Snap, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, and X without proper disclosure. The complaint, filed in a California federal court, alleges that Hims & Hers deployed pixel trackers on its website, which captured and transmitted users’ sensitive health information, contradicting its own privacy policy.
Hims & Hers, a publicly traded company specializing in prescription medications for sexual wellness, mental health, and weight loss, is also accused of deceptive billing practices and making it difficult for customers to cancel services, violating federal consumer protection laws.
The FTC’s complaint highlights that the company used Meta’s tracking tools to monitor user interactions, such as clicks and website activity, further exposing personal health data. While Hims & Hers has not directly denied the allegations, it stated in a response that its privacy policy "makes clear" users can control data usage and expressed confidence in its legal position.
This lawsuit is part of the FTC’s broader crackdown on healthcare companies misusing patient data. Previous targets include Cerebral, Monument, GoodRx, and BetterHelp, all accused of sharing sensitive information with third-party advertisers via similar tracking technologies.
The case underscores ongoing concerns about pixel trackers and misconfigured data-sharing practices, which have previously exposed sensitive information such as the U.S. Postal Service’s accidental sharing of users’ home addresses with Meta, LinkedIn, and Snap in early 2024. The USPS removed the tracking code following the discovery.
hims & hers cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/hims-&-hers
"id": "HIM1785450848",
"linkid": "hims-&-hers",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "1/2024",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Healthcare',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'Hims & Hers',
'size': 'Publicly traded company',
'type': 'Telehealth Provider'}],
'attack_vector': 'Pixel Trackers',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Medical and healthcare data, '
'user interactions (clicks, '
'website activity)'},
'description': 'The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit '
'against telehealth provider Hims & Hers, accusing the company '
'of sharing customers’ medical and healthcare data with '
'advertisers and tech platforms including Meta, Snap, '
'Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, and X without proper '
'disclosure. The complaint alleges that Hims & Hers deployed '
'pixel trackers on its website, which captured and transmitted '
'users’ sensitive health information, contradicting its own '
'privacy policy. The company is also accused of deceptive '
'billing practices and making it difficult for customers to '
'cancel services.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'High',
'data_compromised': 'Medical and healthcare data',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'legal_liabilities': 'FTC lawsuit, potential fines',
'systems_affected': 'Website tracking systems'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'motivation': 'Data Monetization',
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Misconfigured pixel trackers, '
'inadequate data-sharing controls'},
'references': [{'source': 'FTC Complaint'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'FTC lawsuit',
'regulations_violated': 'Federal consumer '
'protection laws, '
'healthcare data privacy '
'regulations'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public statement defending privacy '
'policy'},
'title': 'FTC Sues Hims & Hers Over Alleged Unauthorized Sharing of Sensitive '
'Health Data',
'type': 'Data Breach',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Misconfigured data-sharing practices'}