The FTC has filed a lawsuit against telehealth company Hims & Hers Health, accusing the company of sharing user information with advertising platforms like Meta and Snap while simultaneously promising to protect patient privacy.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the FTC, in conjunction with the states of Utah and California, has initiated legal action against Hims & Hers over allegations that the company violated consumer privacy and engaged in deceptive billing practices. The lawsuit centers on claims that the telehealth provider shared sensitive user data with third-party advertisers despite making assurances about protecting patient confidentiality.
According to the complaint, Hims & Hers provided lists of certain customers and tracking information about visitor actions on its website to advertising platforms including Meta and Snap. This data sharing allegedly occurred even as the company promoted its commitment to maintaining consumer privacy in its marketing materials and customer communications.
The lawsuit also targets the company’s subscription and billing procedures. The FTC alleges that Hims & Hers enrolls consumers in recurring subscription plans for treatments immediately after they submit their intake forms. This practice contradicts the company’s stated policy that users would first consult with medical providers to determine whether medication is necessary before being charged for services.
The complaint further accuses Hims & Hers of making it unreasonably difficult for customers to cancel their subscriptions. According to the FTC, the company fails to provide clear notification about when prescription refills will occur each month, making it challenging for users to cancel before the next billing cycle begins. The lawsuit also claims that the company deliberately conceals the online cancellation button, adding another obstacle for customers attempting to end their subscriptions.
These alleged practices are described in the complaint as violations of both federal and state consumer protection laws. The joint action by the FTC and two state attorneys general signals a coordinated enforcement effort against what regulators view as systematic violations of consumer rights.
Hims & Hers has pushed back strongly against the allegations. In a statement, the company disputed the lawsuit’s claims and announced its intention to mount a vigorous defense. The telehealth provider characterized the FTC’s action as politically motivated rather than based on legitimate consumer protection concerns.
“This is not enforcement grounded in consumer protection; it is an effort to generate headlines at our expense,” the company said in a statement. The firm also asserted that the lawsuit disregards evidence it provided during the FTC’s investigation and fails to account for standard practices within the telehealth industry.
In a statement to Breitbart News, a Meta spokesperson wrote: “We do not permit or want advertisers to share sensitive information with us through our business tools, and our systems are designed to detect and filter out information that appears potentially sensitive. Advertisers set up these tools and are ultimately responsible for the data they choose to share, including that they don’t share sensitive data with Meta per our terms.”
Breitbart News previously reported that Hims & Hers co-founder and CEO Andrew Dudum offered jobs to anti-Israel campus protestors in 2024:
“Moral courage > College degree,” he wrote on X Wednesday.
“If you’re currently protesting against the genocide of the Palestinian people & for your university’s divestment from Israel, keep going. It’s working,” the CEO, 35, continued.
“There are plenty of companies & CEOs eager to hire you, regardless of university discipline,” he added before inserting a job application link:
Hims, a publicly traded company, initially started out by selling treatments for erectile dysfunction and male hair loss before launching the female-centric Hers brand for birth control and libido-increasing drugs.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.