FTC Sues Hims & Hers Over Patient Data Shared With Meta, Snap

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against telehealth company Hims & Hers, accusing the healthcare provider of sharing customers’ sensitive medical information with major advertising and technology companies, including Meta and Snap, without properly informing users.

The case marks the latest move by the federal consumer watchdog to crack down on healthcare companies that allegedly expose patients’ private health data to third parties. The FTC also claims Hims & Hers misled consumers about how their personal information was collected and used.

Hims & Hers, now a publicly traded company, offers prescription treatments for sexual wellness, mental health, weight loss, and several other health conditions. Because of the nature of its services, the company manages a significant amount of highly sensitive patient information.

According to the complaint filed in a federal court in California, Hims & Hers installed tracking technologies, commonly known as pixels, from several technology and advertising companies on its website. The FTC alleges these trackers were supplied by Meta, Snap, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, and X, and were used to collect and transmit users’ health-related information.

The agency claims this practice directly conflicted with the company’s own privacy policy, which suggested that customers’ sensitive data would be protected. In addition to the tracking pixels, the FTC alleges that Hims & Hers used Meta’s tracking tools to monitor users’ clicks and other actions performed while browsing its website.

Website tracking pixels are widely used across the internet to help businesses understand visitor behavior and improve advertising performance. However, when implemented incorrectly, these tools can unintentionally—or unlawfully—share personal and sensitive information with outside companies.

Beyond its privacy concerns, the FTC also accuses Hims & Hers of deceptive billing practices. The lawsuit alleges the company created cancellation procedures that made it unnecessarily difficult for customers to end their subscriptions, potentially violating federal consumer protection laws.

In response, Hims & Hers did not directly reject the FTC’s allegations.

Instead, the company said in a statement published on its website that its privacy policy clearly explains how customer information may be used and that users have choices regarding their data. The company added that it is confident in its legal position and intends to defend itself against the FTC’s claims.

The lawsuit follows a series of similar enforcement actions by the FTC against healthcare and telehealth businesses. Previous cases have involved telehealth startup Cerebral, alcohol recovery platform Monument, healthcare data company GoodRx, and online therapy provider BetterHelp. In each instance, the companies faced allegations of sharing patients’ sensitive information with third-party technology firms and advertisers through tracking tools embedded on their websites.

Concerns surrounding tracking pixels have grown in recent years as investigations continue to reveal how these small pieces of website code can transmit confidential user information when not properly configured.

A notable example emerged in 2024 when TechCrunch reported that the U.S. Postal Service was sharing logged-in users’ home addresses with Meta, LinkedIn, and Snap through pixel tracking technology. Following the report, the USPS removed the tracking code from its website.

The FTC’s latest lawsuit highlights the increasing regulatory focus on digital privacy, particularly within the healthcare sector, where companies are expected to safeguard highly sensitive patient information while remaining transparent about how that data is collected and shared.

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