Saint Agnes Medical Center has engaged in illegal disclosure of the personal information of its patients to Facebook. The Medical Center, through its website, “samc.com”, utilized the tracking tool, Facebook Pixel, to keep records of all user activity on its website including search history, preferences, doctor interactions, and more.
As Saint Agnes Medical Center was well aware, Facebook Pixel grants Facebook free access to this data, meaning that the advertising giant has access to highly sensitive medical information which it can then use and sell to advertisers. This alarming violation of privacy is of major concern to our consumer class action lawsuit lawyers, and we are determined to stop this illegal data gathering and see that those who have already fallen victim to it are compensated.
In an era where personal information is becoming increasingly desired by advertising giants like Meta, Facebook’s parent company, it is especially crucial that medical information be protected. Meta has admitted that, due to the scale of information that it collects, it is highly vulnerable to cyberattacks and may not even know if information is compromised.
At a base level, Californians have a right to determine how their medical information is treated, and any disclosure that is not for medical purposes requires consent. If you discover that your sensitive medical information has been illegally shared in this manner, contact our Saint Agnes Medical Center class action lawyers today to secure your compensation.
What Is Facebook Pixel?
Facebook Pixel is a piece of code available for free to companies that can be added to any website. This code keeps a record of users’ actions by identifying users that also have Facebook accounts. On “samc.com”, the actions that Facebook Pixel tracks include:
- Search Terms.
- Pages visited.
- Doctors contacted/specialties requested.
- Payments for medical services.
- Scheduling appointments.
- Any registration for support groups.
- Location where individuals seek treatment.
This information is gathered by Facebook Pixel and stored with no apparent end date. This is highly personal information that, through Facebook Pixel, is transferred into the care of perhaps the most notoriously irresponsible American company when it comes to privacy. Meta has faced countless lawsuits and fines for privacy offenses.
Facebook Pixel is invisible to users. The information that it gathers allows companies to track which of their advertisements are working and to compile lists of users with shared interests in order to optimize advertisement strategy.
When it comes to medical websites, this approach is deeply misguided, as it inherits the disclosure of personal information that is protected by California law. Our team of class action attorneys is pursuing multiple lawsuits against medical providers that use Facebook Pixel – if you know that your information has been illegally collected by a medical provider in this manner, contact us today.
What Laws did Saint Agnes Medical Center Break?
California law explicitly prohibits this kind of disclosure. In putting advertisement goals over the patients that it serves, Saint Agnes Medical Center violated:
- California Invasion of Privacy Act. This law prohibits any entity from aiding third parties in an effort to read or learn messages or communications sent within California without the consent of all parties.
- Confidentiality of Medical Information Act. Under this law, healthcare providers may not use the medical information of patients for any purpose that does not provide them with medical benefit, e.g. selling it or releasing it to an advertiser.
These laws make it clear that “samc.com” is using Facebook Pixel illegally. Our Saint Agnes Medical Center class action lawyers are determined to see as many people as possible compensated for this illegal activity. Personal medical information should never be for sale – Contact our consumer class action attorneys today to learn more about our work on cases like these.
What Is a Class Action Lawsuit?
Our consumer class action attorney’s lawsuit against Saint Agnes Medical Center is taking the form of a class action lawsuit. Due to the scale of Saint Agnes Medical Center’s violation of California law, it would likely take decades to litigate each instance of these privacy violations individually.
As such, our Saint Agnes Medical Center class action lawyers are pursuing claims on behalf of a class – a group of individuals who have suffered the same damages that are declared a group, or “class”, by a judge. This will allow our attorneys to deliver justice expeditiously.
Our team of class action attorneys has brought financial compensation to millions of deserving people across the country. We know that some negligent entities can act with disregard for people’s rights – when this happens, there must be accountability.
If you have suffered damages from consumer fraud, data leaks, illegal data sharing, or wage and hour violations, contact us today.
