Hims & Hers accused of sharing health secrets and hiding the cancel button
The US Federal Trade Commission has sued telehealth company Hims & Hers, alleging it shared customers’ sensitive health information with advertising platforms including Meta and Snap, despite promising a private and secure service. The regulator also claims the company used misleading billing and cancellation practices, raising concerns over patient privacy and consumer protection in online healthcare.
According to the FTC, Hims & Hers shared customer lists and transmitted information about medical conditions through online tracking tools. It alleges customers were often charged and enrolled in recurring subscriptions after prescriptions were issued without a consultation or chance to approve treatment, and that refill timings were unclear enough to make cancellation difficult. Hims & Hers had not immediately responded to the lawsuit, but published a privacy-focused blog post saying it uses safeguards to limit marketing access to patient information.
In short
- FTC alleges Hims & Hers shared sensitive health data with advertisers.
- Customers allegedly faced unexpected subscription charges and difficult cancellations.
- Hims & Hers says it uses measures to protect patient information.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The FTC’s allegations, if substantiated, point to a serious breach of trust: people seeking healthcare may reasonably expect sensitive information to stay private, especially when a company promises a secure service. Clear consent before recurring charges and an accessible way to cancel are also basic consumer protections, so regulatory action could help ensure online healthcare is held to appropriate standards.
The case against
Hims & Hers may argue that its privacy safeguards limit what advertising platforms can access and that the FTC’s account does not reflect how its systems or subscription terms work in practice. The company could also contend that recurring billing and refill schedules are disclosed parts of its service, and that disputed interpretations should be resolved through evidence and due process rather than treated as established misconduct.
Explained simply
Hims & Hers is an online healthcare company that allows people to order prescription medications through its platform, making medical care more convenient and accessible than visiting traditional doctors' surgeries. The US Federal Trade Commission, which protects consumers from unfair business practices, has sued the company for allegedly sharing customers' sensitive health information with major advertising platforms like Meta and Snap without proper consent.
The regulator claims Hims & Hers shared detailed patient data including medical conditions through online tracking tools that advertising companies could access. The company is also accused of making it unnecessarily difficult to cancel subscriptions and of automatically enrolling customers in recurring charges without clear consent, meaning people could be charged repeatedly without understanding they had agreed to ongoing service.
The case highlights growing concerns about how online healthcare providers handle sensitive personal information and whether they are properly protecting patient privacy. It also underscores questions about consumer protection in the telehealth industry, which has expanded rapidly but may not be following the same privacy rules as traditional healthcare providers.