Three Facebook users have filed a class action lawsuit against the social media company, medical organizations and providers alleging that Facebook obtained and used health information without their knowledge or consent, according to a Law360 report.
Facebook uses private health information (PHI) to create marketing profiles on each user, according to the lawsuit, and then tailors ads based on that information.
William Smith is the lead plaintiff of the suit that says the healthcare organizations should have disclosed to patients their relationship with Facebook. The company use a chart to sell advertisements that organizes more than 225 million users into 154 medical categories, according to the lawsuit. Harvesting of protected health information (PHI) is not allowed on several medical websites, Smith says, including Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages, restitution and an injunction to halt the defendants from tracking and disclosing PHI of Facebook users, according to a report from Courthouse News Services.
Smith et al v. Facebook, Inc. et al, filed in the California Northern District Court, names the following eight defendants:
- Adventist Health System, Altamonte Springs, Fla.
- American Cancer Society
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- BJC Healthcare, St. Louis
- Cleveland Clinic
- Melanoma Research Foundation
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.