Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Google, UPS Disclose Users’ Info to Third Parties Without Consent via Tracking Widget

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that the Google Search-based “Track your package” system developed by Google in collaboration with UPS and other entities, contrary to the companies’ privacy claims, in fact shares huge amounts of private user data with a “large number of third parties” without consent.

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According to the 88-page lawsuit, although Google and UPS implicitly promise users that the “Track your package” widget does not transmit private information to third parties and instead only relays the entered tracking number, these representations are false and misleading, as the companies share “extensive” amounts of consumers’ personal information with third parties such as Meta, Google Analytics, DoubleClick, Microsoft, and many others.

Critically, the Google Search tracking widget displays a statement that reads “Only your tracking number will be sent” to the delivery carrier, which leads users to believe that their sensitive personal information will not be transmitted, the case says.

The class action lawsuit states, however, that clicking the “track” button for a tracking number associated with a UPS package causes the user’s browser to send 415 separate network requests to UPS and other third-party domains, while another search associated with a FedEx package causes the user’s browser to send 142 network requests to at least 19 different domains.

The case asserts that consumer information transmitted to third parties by way of the tracking widget and subsequent network requests includes details about a user’s behaviors and communications, such as their browsing history, visit history, website interactions, demographic and geolocation information, interests and preferences, device information, user identifiers, and more.

“Consumers did not know of, much less consent to, this type of tracking and data sharing when they clicked or pressed the Track Button associated with the Widget,” the complaint reads. “Based on Defendants' false representation, consumers reasonably believed that using the Widget would not cause any of their data to be shared with any party, except for the tracking information to be shared only with the selected carrier.”

The suit claims that this wealth of consumer information is valuable and used by Google, UPS, delivery carriers, and other third parties to create or enhance consumer profiles that are then utilized for targeted advertisements and market analytics.

In addition, the lawsuit says that Google and UPS employ users’ personal information to measure and optimize marketing campaigns, evaluate website design and product placement, and target specific users or groups of users with ads. Essentially, Google and UPS monetize consumers’ information by “leveraging” it to increase user engagement, improve the effectiveness of ads and generate overall revenue, the suit says.

Had Google and UPS disclosed that the tracking widget would transmit a huge amount of personal information, besides the tracking number, to third parties, or that it would transmit user data to parties other than the delivery carrier, consumers would not have used the widget, the filing says.

The Google and UPS class action lawsuit seeks to cover all individuals who used the “Track your package” widget on Google Search in the United States and clicked or pressed the “track” button.

Learn all about the legal process: What is a class action lawsuit?