Class Action Lawsuit Claims FreeStyle Libre Shares Website Users’ Private Info with Facebook, Google

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Abbott Laboratories, Inc. faces a proposed class action lawsuit over its alleged use of tracking tools on FreeStyle.Abbott.com that expose consumers’ private information without their knowledge or consent.

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The 76-page privacy lawsuit says the invisible software—which includes at least the Meta pixel, Google Analytics, Google DoubleClick and Google Tag Manager—tracks visitors as they use Abbott’s website for FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitors and automatically transmits the harvested data back to these third parties.

According to the complaint, the defendant’s data-sharing practices reveal private information about users’ medical conditions, communications concerning insurance coverage and details about which diabetes management products they select. This information is captured and sent along with personal identifiers, such as a user’s IP address or Facebook ID, the filing claims.

“A user’s Facebook ID is linked to their Facebook profile, which contains a wide range of demographic and other information about the user,” the case reads. “Because the user’s Facebook ID uniquely identifies an individual’s Facebook account, Facebook—or any ordinary person—can easily use the Facebook ID to locate, access and view the user’s corresponding Facebook profile.”

The FreeStyle Libre lawsuit alleges that Abbott, Facebook and Google monetize these data packets by using them to deliver targeted advertisements, among other marketing purposes. The plaintiffs say that after shopping for devices on FreeStyle.Abbott.com, they soon began receiving ads on Facebook and Instagram related to diabetes monitoring and management.

The plaintiffs claim they expected that their communications with Abbott would remain confidential, especially since they never consented to having their information shared with third parties. Per the suit, the defendant’s unauthorized disclosures violate the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as well as state laws and industry standards.

“Healthcare customers simply do not anticipate or expect that their trusted healthcare provider will send personal health information or confidential medical information collected via its webpages to a hidden third party—let alone Facebook and Google, which both have a sordid history of privacy violations in pursuit of ever-increasing advertising revenue—without the customers’ consent,” the case charges.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States whose private information was disclosed to a third party without authorization or consent through the Meta pixel and other third-party tracking technologies on Abbott’s website.

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