US judge rejects Meta’s bid to overturn verdict in reproductive data case
A federal judge upheld a jury verdict against Meta, ruling it illegally intercepted reproductive health data from Flo app users.
Meta has failed to overturn a jury verdict that found it illegally collected sensitive reproductive health data from users of the Flo period tracking app. US District Judge James Donato rejected Meta’s claim that the data was ‘secondhand’ and not protected under California’s wiretapping law.
The court found that Meta directly intercepted real-time communications between users and the app, such as when users indicated they wanted to track their menstrual cycle or pregnancy.
Judge Donato also dismissed Meta’s argument that Flo users had consented to the data sharing, calling the claim “rank speculation” unsupported by evidence.
The jury’s August verdict marked one of the first major legal decisions involving big tech’s handling of sensitive health information. Legal experts say it could open the door to more lawsuits and greater scrutiny of tech companies’ data practices. Meta has not responded to requests for comment.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!