Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s Secretly Share Consumers’ Firearm Purchases with Facebook, Class Action Says

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A proposed class action claims Bass Pro Shops and subsidiary Cabela’s secretly send website visitors’ personal data, including information about firearm purchases, to Facebook without consent.

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According to the 17-page lawsuit, the outdoor equipment retailers have violated the Pennsylvania Wiretapping Act by installing a piece of code on BassPro.com and Cabelas.com that secretly discloses website visitors’ electronic communications and personal information to Facebook. The complaint says that this code, called the Facebook tracking pixel, records which pages a visitor views or what buttons they click as they navigate either website, allowing the social media giant to identify which products a person viewed or bought on BassPro.com and Cabelas.com.

The plaintiff, a Pennsylvania resident, claims the defendants disclosed to Facebook without his knowledge, consent or express written authorization that he had bought a Henry Big Boy Classic Centerfire Lever-Action Rifle - .45 Colt from Cabelas.com in December 2021. The case alleges that the tracking tool also disclosed the plaintiff’s name, address and Facebook ID, a string of numbers that anyone can use to access an individual’s corresponding Facebook profile. 

Per the suit, the defendants have unlawfully exposed consumers’ identities, website activities and firearms purchases in violation of the Uniform Firearms Act.

When it comes to advertising, “Facebook can target users so effectively because it surveils user activity both on and off its site,” the case states. “This allows Facebook to make inferences about users beyond what they explicitly disclose, like their ‘interests,’ ‘behavior,’ and ‘connections.’”

As the complaint tells it, Facebook compiles the information it receives from websites like BassPro.com and Cabelas.com in a dataset that advertisers can then use to target people who have already shown interest in their business.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in Pennsylvania who has a Facebook account and visited either Cabelas.com, BassPro.com or both.

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