Hims & Hers accused of leaking user medical data in the US

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against Hims & Hers, a major healthcare and telemedicine platform. This action is being taken due to the unauthorized transfer of consumers' personal and confidential medical data to major tech giants such as Meta and Snap, as well as misleading customers regarding its privacy policy, reports Techcrunch.com. reports .

According to ixbt.com, Hims & Hers, a publicly traded company, delivers prescription medications for sexual health, mental health, weight management, and other sensitive areas. As a result, the platform manages a vast and extremely sensitive database of its customers' personal information. However, it was discovered that the company installed special codes on its website to study advertisers' behavior.

Trackers transmitting confidential data

The official complaint filed in the California federal court states that Hims & Hers embedded pixel trackers provided by platforms such as Meta, Snap, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, and X on its pages. These tools secretly captured user health data and transmitted it to external companies, which directly contradicts the rules in the company's own privacy policy.

Additionally, FTC investigations revealed that the company tracked users' every action and click on the site using Meta tools. Furthermore, the regulatory body accuses Hims & Hers of deceptive billing practices and imposing terms that make it difficult for customers to cancel subscriptions.

The company's official response and general trend

In a published statement, the Hims & Hers leadership did not directly deny the FTC's claims. Emphasizing that its privacy policy clearly shows users can choose how their data is used, the company stated it stands firm in its position and will defend itself in court proceedings.

It is worth noting that in recent years, US regulators have been cracking down on health and wellness startups transmitting users' personal data to third parties. The FTC has previously taken similar measures against platforms such as Cerebral, Monument, GoodRx, and BetterHelp.

Experts believe that the misuse or misconfiguration of such pixel trackers leads to the leakage of confidential data belonging to thousands of people. For instance, in 2024, TechCrunch exposed that the US Postal Service also used such trackers on its website to provide users' home addresses to companies like Meta and Snap.