Meta loses landmark privacy trial over Flo App data sharing
By lauraharris // 2025-08-07
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  • A federal jury ruled that Meta unlawfully eavesdropped on users of the Flo period-tracking app, violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act.
  • The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by eight women, alleged Flo shared highly sensitive user data, including health and reproductive details, with Meta and others without their consent.
  • Meta admitted Flo used Facebook’s Software Development Kit (SDK) to send data from app interactions but denied receiving or accessing sensitive health information.
  • The jury found Meta lacked proper consent and that Flo users reasonably expected their data to remain private, leading to the verdict against Meta.
  • Meta disputes the ruling and is exploring legal options, while plaintiffs' attorneys call it a landmark victory that could spark widespread litigation affecting millions of users nationwide.
Meta has suffered a major legal blow as a federal jury ruled that the tech giant unlawfully eavesdropped on users of the popular period-tracking app, Flo. The case stems from a 2021 lawsuit filed by eight women who accused Flo, Meta (then Facebook), Google and analytics firm Flurry of mishandling highly personal user data. Flo, a widely used app that tracks menstrual cycles, pregnancy and reproductive health, collected intimate details from users, including information about their sex lives, mental health and diet. The plaintiffs alleged that Flo then shared portions of this sensitive data with third parties, including Meta, without consent. (Related: Meta employees, contractors fired for HIJACKING user accounts.) Google, Flo and Flurry reached settlements before the trial, but Meta chose to fight the allegations in court. According to the lawsuit, Flo integrated Facebook's Software Development Kit (SDK), a tool embedded in many apps for analytics and advertising purposes. between June 2016 to February 2019. The plaintiffs then claimed that Meta sent data from "Custom App Events," such as when users interacted with the "wanting to get pregnant" feature. Meta did not dispute that its SDK was used during this period or that data tied to "App Events" was transmitted. However, the company insisted it never received or accessed sensitive health information, and maintained that the jury misunderstood the technical details and the scope of the data involved. The jury disagreed and ruled on Aug. 1 that Meta violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act. In addition to finding that Meta engaged in unauthorized eavesdropping, jurors determined that Flo users had a reasonable expectation of privacy and that Meta lacked proper consent to collect or record their interactions.

Ruling could serve as a legal blueprint for future class actions

Meta, for its part, has signaled it is not backing down. In a statement to San Francisco Gate, company spokesperson Chris Sgro said Meta "vigorously" disagrees with the verdict and is "exploring all legal options." "The plaintiffs' claims against Meta are simply false," Sgro wrote. "User privacy is important to Meta, which is why we do not want health or other sensitive information and why our terms prohibit developers from sending any." In contrast, plaintiffs' attorneys Michael Canty and Carol Villegas welcomed the decision as a major victory for digital privacy. Villegas described the outcome as "a wake-up call to companies that view consent as a formality and transparency as optional," while Canty called it a "landmark moment in the effort to safeguard digital privacy rights." "Our clients entrusted their most sensitive information to a health app, only to have it exploited by one of the world's most powerful tech companies," Canty wrote. In other words, the legal repercussions for Meta may just be the beginning. With over 3.7 million potential claimants nationwide, the ruling could trigger a wave of follow-up litigation and compensation efforts. The outcome could serve as a legal blueprint for future class actions involving app-based data sharing, especially as scrutiny intensifies around health tech and personal data. Glitch.news has more stories like this. Watch this Euronews report about Meta being added to Russia's official list of terrorist organizations.
This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

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Sources include: ZeroHedge.com SFGate.com Brighteon.com
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