Health Website Wiretapping, Data Privacy Investigations: Was Your Info Shared?

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org believe that some healthcare websites and apps, including certain prescription discount services and telemedicine platforms, may be violating state and federal wiretapping laws by secretly sharing consumers’ private health information.

Specifically, they suspect that the websites and apps may be using tracking tools to collect details about users (such as the prescriptions and other health-related products they search for and order) and share the information with Facebook for advertising purposes. It’s possible that consumers’ health information is being shared along with their Facebook IDs, unique identifiers that can be used to match each person’s data with their Facebook profile.

The attorneys are now looking to pursue claims against these companies over potential privacy violations and are gathering consumers who want to sign up. Certain state and federal privacy laws provide that consumers whose rights were violated could be owed anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars. 

Keep reading for a summary on each website/app under investigation, including more details on who may be affected and what data is potentially being shared. Each summary will also have a link to a form where users can sign up and join others taking action.

SingleCare Privacy Investigation

SingleCare offers a prescription discount service that, through partnerships with thousands of pharmacies, allows users to save money on over 10,000 medications.

However, attorneys suspect that the savings may come with a catch; specifically, they believe that SingleCare.com and its associated app may be secretly sharing users’ prescription details with Facebook via tracking tools. So, if a user searched for a coupon for a weight loss drug or an opioid addiction treatment, for instance, it’s possible that SingleCare may have transmitted that data to the social media company along with the user’s Facebook ID, a unique identifier that can be used to match their prescription details with their individual Facebook profile.

If you’re a Facebook user who had a SingleCare account and obtained discounts on medications through SingleCare.com or the app within the past two years, join others taking action.

SingleCare Users Sign Up Here

How Could My Health Information Be Getting Shared with Facebook?

Many website and app operators use tracking tools to gather data about their users.

One such tool, called the Meta pixel, can be programmed to record users’ online actions, including the buttons they click, the content they view, the searches they perform, and the items they order or purchase. This data can then be used by both Meta and the website operator to better target advertisements to their users.

Within the healthcare industry, website operators’ use of the Meta pixel has come under scrutiny as the tool could potentially be used to transmit consumers’ protected medical information without permission. In fact, in June 2022, nonprofit news publication The Markup published the results of an investigation revealing that the websites for a third of the top hospitals in the U.S. were sending patients’ sensitive health information to Facebook via the Meta pixel. The websites were reportedly transmitting details such as doctors’ names and the specific medical conditions selected when users made appointments. Additionally, some hospitals’ patient portals were sharing details about patients’ medications, allergic reactions and upcoming doctor’s appointments via the pixel, according to The Markup.

Attorneys are now looking into whether the websites and apps listed above are using the Meta pixel to share users’ personal and health information with Facebook in violation of state and federal wiretapping laws.

Is This a Lawsuit? What Am I Signing Up For, Exactly?

You are not signing up for a lawsuit, but rather a process known as mass arbitration. This is a relatively new legal technique that, like a class action lawsuit, allows a large group of people to take action and seek compensation from a company over an alleged wrongdoing. Here is a quick explanation of mass arbitration from our blog:

“[M]ass arbitration occurs when hundreds or thousands of consumers file individual arbitration claims against the same company over the same issue at the same time. The aim of a mass arbitration proceeding is to grant relief on a large scale (similar to a class action lawsuit) for those who sign up.”

The terms of use for some healthcare websites and apps may contain a class action waiver and/or an arbitration clause requiring users to resolve disputes via arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution that takes place outside of court before a neutral arbitrator, as opposed to a judge or jury. It’s for this reason that attorneys working with ClassAction.org have decided to handle these matters as mass arbitrations rather than class action lawsuits.

How Much Does This Cost?

It costs nothing to sign up, and you’ll only need to pay if the attorneys win money on your behalf. Their payment will come as a percentage of your award.

If they don’t win your claim, you don’t pay.

How Much Money Could I Get? 

There are no guarantees as to how much money you could get or whether your claim will be successful. However, certain state and federal privacy laws provide that consumers whose rights were violated may be owed anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars.

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