FTC sue Hims & Hers over privacy concerns, subscription practices
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and authorities in Utah and California have sued Hims & Hers, alleging that the telehealth company shared customers’ sensitive health information with advertising platforms and used deceptive billing and cancellation practices.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in California, alleges that Hims & Hers shared health information with Meta, Snap and other third parties despite promising to protect patient privacy, according to the FTC.
The information was allegedly disclosed through customer lists and tracking technology that recorded certain actions on the company’s website.
Hims & Hers, which is based in San Francisco, provides telehealth services and prescription medications directly to consumers. Customers are required to complete an online intake form for review by a medical provider and provide their billing information.
According to the complaint, customers were told they would be able to consult with a provider to determine which treatment was right for them and would not be charged unless medication was prescribed.
The FTC alleges that most customers did not receive a consultation and were instead charged for prescription medication shortly after submitting the form.
Customers were also enrolled in recurring subscription plans without an opportunity to review or approve the treatment, according to the complaint.
The company is also accused of failing to clearly disclose when prescriptions would be refilled and making subscriptions difficult to cancel. Even after online cancellations were introduced for most customers in 2023, the FTC alleges that the cancellation button was hidden behind an option to add or remove items and several additional steps.
consumers unknowingly locked into recurring subscriptions and the disclosure to third parties of consumers’ most private health information without their consent,” said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The lawsuit alleges violations of federal laws governing deceptive practices and recurring subscriptions, as well as consumer protection laws in Utah and California.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
