Judge Upholds Jury’s Ruling Against Meta for Illegally Intercepting Users’ Reproductive Health Data

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has upheld a jury’s ruling against Meta Platforms, affirming that the tech giant unlawfully intercepted and recorded sensitive reproductive health information from users of the Flo Health period tracker app. The decision comes after a jury found that Meta’s actions violated California’s Invasion of Privacy Act. U.S. District Judge James Donato denied Meta’s request to decertify a class of plaintiffs or to grant a new trial following the jury’s verdict. In his ruling, Donato emphasized that the evidence presented during the trial did not warrant overturning the jury’s unanimous … Read more

California Jury Rules Meta Violated Privacy Laws by Illegally Collecting Health Data from Flo App Users

A San Francisco jury has determined that Meta Platforms Inc. unlawfully gathered health data from users of the Flo period-tracking application, breaching California’s wiretap laws. This ruling emerges from a 2021 lawsuit in which users of the Flo app accused Meta, Alongside Google, Flo itself, and analytics company Flurry, of collecting their private menstrual health information without their consent for targeted advertising. During the trial, evidence indicated that Flo, despite assurances of user privacy, permitted Meta and Google to monitor in-app communications between late 2016 and early 2019. This allegedly contravened California’s Invasion of Privacy … Read more

California Jury Delivers Groundbreaking Ruling Against Meta for Illegally Collecting Sensitive Menstrual Data from Flo Users

A jury in San Francisco has determined that Meta Platforms Inc. unlawfully collected menstruation data from users of the popular period-tracking app Flo, marking a significant victory for privacy advocates. This ruling, reached after weeks of hearings, is notable as it represents the first jury verdict against a major tech company concerning reproductive health data violations. The lawsuit originated from claims that Flo Health Inc., the app’s developer, disclosed sensitive user information—including cycle lengths and fertility predictions—to third parties, including Meta, without obtaining proper consent. The plaintiffs asserted that this information was integrated into Meta’s … Read more

Federal Judge Rules Trump Illegally Deployed National Guard in California, Restoring Governor Newsom’s Authority

SAN FRANCISCO — In a significant ruling, a federal judge has mandated that President Donald Trump relinquish control of the National Guard troops he dispatched to Los Angeles for immigration enforcement and managing civil unrest. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer issued a temporary restraining order on Thursday, stating that the deployment was unlawful and exceeded the President’s authority under the Tenth Amendment. The order is set to take effect Friday at noon. The federal government wasted no time, immediately filing an appeal with the Ninth Circuit court. The ruling raises questions about how it will … Read more