Federal and state regulators are taking aim at one of the biggest names in telehealth, accusing Hims & Hers of handing sensitive health information to advertisers while promising users privacy.
The FTC, joined by Utah and California, filed suit in the Northern District of California on July 29. The complaint centers on two tracks: billing and data. On billing, the agency says most consumers are charged for prescriptions almost immediately after submitting an intake form, before any meaningful provider consultation, and are enrolled in recurring subscription plans that are hard to exit, with cancellation options buried behind multiple clicks.
On data, the FTC alleges Hims shared lists of certain customers with Meta, Snap, and other third parties, and that tracking technologies on its site sent visitor activity, including health-related signals, to those advertising platforms despite the company’s stated commitment to protecting patient privacy.
The enforcement action cites the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, with state claims under Utah’s Consumer Sales Practices Act and California’s False Advertising and Unfair Competition Laws. The commission voted 2-0 to file. Hims & Hers said it has long shared the FTC’s goal of a better healthcare system and maintains that its privacy policy gives patients control over how their data is used.
