Healthline to Pay $1.55M Under Largest CCPA Privacy Settlement
Healthline must pay California $1.55 million under the largest proposed settlement yet under the California Consumer Privacy Act, Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said Tuesday. The settlement, which is pending final court approval, also includes a novel injunctive term prohibiting the company “from sharing article titles that reveal that a consumer may have already been diagnosed with a medical condition,” the AG's office said.
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The settlement would resolve allegations that the company’s use of online tracking technology on Healthline.com violated the CCPA, said the AG's office, which submitted a complaint Tuesday to the California Superior Court for San Francisco. A California DOJ investigation found that Healthline failed to let consumers opt out of targeted advertising. Also, the company shared data with third parties without CCPA-mandated privacy protections, including information suggesting individuals had serious health conditions, the AG's office said.
“Our settlement with Healthline underscores that Californians have critical privacy rights under the CCPA to fight online surveillance -- including by website publishers,” said Bonta.
Healthline didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.