Class Action Alleges GoodRx Secretly Shares Prescription, Treatment Data with Facebook, Google

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

A proposed class action alleges telehealth and prescription drug coupon provider GoodRx has secretly shared detailed consumer medical information with Google, Meta, Criteo and other major social media and advertising companies. 

Want to stay in the loop on class actions that matter to you? Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here. 

The 51-page GoodRx privacy lawsuit was filed a day after the company was barred via enforcement action by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from sharing consumers' sensitive health information for advertising purposes. Under the proposed order, GoodRx will pay a $1.5 million civil penalty, marking the first instance of the FTC taking an enforcement action over the sharing of user health data with third parties for advertising. 

The lawsuit against GoodRx says that although the company affirms that it maintains the same medical data-protection guidelines as any other health entity, the company has “knowingly and intentionally” intercepted its users’ identifying prescription and treatment information and shared it with “at least a dozen” third parties for targeted advertising purposes. 

According to the suit, GoodRx’s handling and disclosure of users’ medical data without consent and contrary to its privacy-policy assurances amounts to “an extreme invasion of … privacy” in violation of federal and state law. 

“Given the nature of this information shared through the GoodRx Platform and GoodRx’s representations, Plaintiff and Class members believed their personal information, including health information relating to their medical conditions, symptoms, and prescriptions, would not be shared or disclosed,” the suit attests. 

GoodRx is reportedly the most-downloaded medical app in the Apple and Google app stores, boasting roughly 20 million users per month, the case shares. The defendant’s service purports to allow consumers to save money on prescription drugs by gathering current prices and discounts and offering coupons they can present at a pharmacy when picking up a medication, the suit relays. 

Moreover, GoodRx offers telehealth services under its HeyDoctor and GoodRx Care brands, the lawsuit says. To access any of GoodRx’s services, a consumer must provide detailed personally identifiable information, as well as select the type of treatment they’re looking to receive. 

The lawsuit alleges GoodRx knowingly and intentionally loaded its platforms up with “a host of tracking technology,” including software development kits and tracking pixels developed by defendants Meta Platforms, Google and Criteo, for “marketing, advertising and analytics purposes” without disclosure to users. These tools exist for the express purpose of collecting data from users, the filing says. 

“Defendant GoodRx monetized and used the data collected from GoodRx users to serve personalized advertisements,” the suit summarizes. 

The lawsuit looks to cover all persons in the United States who used GoodRx and whose communications and/or data were shared with third parties, including Meta, Google and Criteo. 

Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.