A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Meta Platforms must respond to a lawsuit accusing the company of breaching the medical confidentiality of patients.
These patients received treatment from healthcare institutions that utilized Meta’s Pixel tracking tool.
Judge William Orrick, stationed in San Francisco, stated that based on preliminary evidence, the allegations against Meta capturing and sending sensitive healthcare information seemed plausible.
While Orrick dismissed certain claims, he indicated that the plaintiffs, who remained anonymous under pseudonyms like John Doe or Jane Doe, could attempt to restate them.
The plaintiffs argue that Meta Pixel relayed their confidential health details to Meta upon logging into patient portals that had the tracking tool, allowing Meta to profit from specific advertising.
Last August, Meta announced plans to ask users in the European Union (EU) for their consent before allowing businesses to target advertising.
The move aligned with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) which aimed to enforce compliance and regulation in the online sphere.
Facebook and Instagram users effectively agreed to allow their data to be used in targeted advertising when they signed up to the services’ terms and conditions until the regulator ruled it could not process personal information in that way.
“There is no immediate impact on our services in the region. Once this change is in place, advertisers will still be able to run personalized advertising campaigns to reach potential customers and grow their businesses. We have factored this change into our business outlook.”
