Judge Upholds Verdict: Meta Illegally Collected Women's Health Data
A California federal judge has rejected Meta's attempt to overturn a significant jury verdict. The ruling found Meta liable for illegally obtaining sensitive reproductive health data from millions of women using a period tracking tool, Flo Health Inc. The decision is considered a landmark in big tech's handling of sensitive health data.
The jury's verdict, handed down in February, concluded that Meta violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act. U.S. District Judge James Donato, who presided over the case, recently dismissed Meta's attempts to nullify the verdict. Meta's claims that it obtained women's consent or that the data was 'secondhand' were deemed 'improper' and 'rank speculation' by the judge.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that Meta was directly acquiring the content of users' communications with the Flo app in real time. The ruling hinged on whether Flo users had given Meta consent to collect their data through a software development kit embedded in the Flo app. The jury found that no such consent was given.
The ruling sets a precedent for big tech companies handling sensitive health data. Meta's attempts to overturn the verdict have been unsuccessful, and it now faces potential damages. The case highlights the importance of user consent and privacy in the digital age.
