{"id":477,"date":"2026-08-03T16:32:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=477"},"modified":"2026-08-03T16:32:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:47","slug":"ftc-and-states-act-against-hims-hers-for-deceptive-and-unlawful-privacy-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=477","title":{"rendered":"FTC and States Act Against Hims &#038; Hers for Deceptive and Unlawful Privacy Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <a id=\"main-content\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"content\">\n<div class=\"primary-layout-columns\">\n<div class=\"usa-layout-docs__main\">\n<div class=\"region region-content\">\n<div id=\"block-block-content-b5025772-a547-4f8f-a251-ec580178b320\" class=\"block block-block-content block-block-contentb5025772-a547-4f8f-a251-ec580178b320 block--block-content--basic\">\n<div class=\"block-content block-content--type-basic block-content--983 block-content--view-mode-full\">\n<div class=\"block-content__content\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-body field--type-text-long field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div id=\"block-system-main-block--3\" class=\"block block-system block-system-main-block\">\n<div class=\"block-content-container\">\n<article class=\"node node--type-press-release node--view-mode-full node--335028\">\n<div class=\"node__content\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-tags-view field--type-viewfield field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__item field__item-label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"view view-tags__block view-tags view-id-tags view-display-id-block js-view-dom-id-937e05056b222d36c92734ed90a0a79f844c68d4e9a1bda6240994dce0cd2e17 view--block\">\n<div class=\"view__content\">\n<div class=\"view-content\">\n<div class=\"item-list\">\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/consumer-protection\">Consumer Protection<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/regional-offices\">Regional Offices<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/bureau-consumer-protection\">Bureau of Consumer Protection<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/regional-offices\/western-region-los-angeles\">Western Region Los Angeles<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/health\">Health<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/terms\/deceptivemisleading-conduct\">deceptive\/misleading conduct<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/advertising-marketing\">Advertising and Marketing<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/advertising-marketing\/online-advertising-marketing\">Online Advertising and Marketing<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/credit-finance\">Credit and Finance<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/credit-finance\/payments-billing\">Payments and Billing<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/privacy-security\">Privacy and Security<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/privacy-security\/consumer-privacy\">Consumer Privacy<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"views-field views-field-name\"><span class=\"field-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/privacy-security\/health-privacy\">Health Privacy<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<p>The Federal Trade Commission, joined by Utah and California, by and through Los Angeles County Counsel, today sued Hims &amp; Hers alleging that the telehealth provider shared consumers\u2019 sensitive health information about medical conditions with third-party advertising platforms despite claiming its services maintain consumers\u2019 privacy and deceives users about its billing and cancellation practices.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/legal-library\/browse\/cases-proceedings\/hims-hers-timeline-item-2026-07-29\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"1cbc1ca4-4541-43fd-9a2f-bbcc3a5854ca\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\">complaint<\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>filed in federal court, the FTC and its state and local partners allege that Hims &amp; Hers (Hims) fails to clearly disclose that it charges consumers for prescriptions almost immediately after they submit an intake form, despite telling consumers that they will be able to consult with a medical provider to find a treatment that is \u201cright for them.\u201d The FTC also alleges that the company has made it difficult for consumers to cancel subscriptions and misled consumers about keeping their health information private. The FTC alleges that Hims shared consumers\u2019 health information with Meta, Snap and other third parties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FTC\u2019s complaint lays out a troubling scenario\u2014consumers unknowingly locked into recurring subscriptions and the disclosure to third parties of consumers\u2019 most private health information without their consent,\u201d said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC\u2019s Bureau of Consumer Protection. \u201cThe FTC will not hesitate to act on behalf of consumers deprived of their ability to choose which products they want and whether to keep their most sensitive health information private.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>San Francisco-based Hims provides telehealth services and direct-to-consumer prescription medications for certain conditions. Consumers who express interest in Hims\u2019 services must fill out an online intake form for review by a medical provider before obtaining treatment.<\/p>\n<p>In advertisements and on its website, Hims has claimed that consumers can \u201cconnect\u201d and consult with a medical provider through Hims to determine whether they need prescription medication. When consumers fill out their intake form, they are asked to provide their billing information despite assurances that they will not be charged unless and until medications are prescribed, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>The FTC alleges, however, that Hims does not give most consumers a consultation with a provider. Instead, by submitting their intake form, most consumers will unknowingly be charged for and subscribed to a prescription treatment without having a chance to review or approve it. According to the complaint, Hims enrolls consumers in recurring subscription plans for those treatments shortly after receiving consumers\u2019 intake forms.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the complaint alleges that Hims fails to clearly and conspicuously inform consumers when their prescriptions will be refilled each month, making it difficult to cancel before the next billing cycle.<\/p>\n<p>These practices have generated numerous complaints from consumers. One complained that, \u201cI was told that I would be able to speak with a doctor in a few days and that nothing would be charged to my card that day. Him\u2019s &amp; Her\u2019s [sic] charged me immediately! I never gave consent to apply charges before I spoke with a healthcare professional.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The FTC also alleges that the company makes it extremely difficult to cancel its subscriptions. Prior to 2023, Hims only allowed most consumers to cancel by contacting customer service via phone, email or chat and imposed additional hurdles that made it difficult for consumers to cancel. Even after introducing online cancellation to most consumers in 2023, the company made it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions by hiding the cancellation button from consumers, the FTC alleges. The button appeared only after these consumers selected an option to \u201cadd\/remove items from order\u201d and navigated several steps before they even saw the word \u201ccancel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the complaint alleges that Hims shared consumers\u2019 sensitive health information with third-party advertising platforms such as Meta and Snap despite promising to protect patient privacy. Hims\u00a0shared its consumers\u2019 health information with advertising platforms by sharing lists of certain customers with those companies.\u00a0Hims also shared consumers\u2019 health information via third-party tracking technologies that automatically shared certain \u201cEvents\u201d\u2014the actions of visitors on Hims\u2019 website\u2014with those companies.<\/p>\n<p>The FTC alleges these practices have violated the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers\u2019 Confidence Act, which prohibits deceptive billing and subscription practices. Utah alleges violations of the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act, and California alleges violations of California\u2019s False Advertising and Unfair Competition Laws.<\/p>\n<p>The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 2-0. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTE:\u00a0<\/strong>The Commission files a complaint when it has \u201creason to believe\u201d that the named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The case will be decided by the court.<\/p>\n<p>The lead staffers on this matter include Siobhan Amin, Barbara Chun and Jordan Navarrette in the FTC\u2019s Western Region Los Angeles office.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-boilerplate-block field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field--count-1\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"block-content block-content--type-boilerplate block-content--3 block-content--view-mode-default\">\n<div class=\"block-content__content\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<p><span>The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/about-ftc\/bureaus-offices\/bureau-consumer-protection\"><span>protect and educate consumers<\/span><\/a><span>. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. Learn more about consumer topics at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/consumer.ftc.gov\/\"><span>consumer.ftc.gov<\/span><\/a><span>, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/reportfraud.ftc.gov\/\"><span>ReportFraud.ftc.gov<\/span><\/a><span>. Follow the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/stay-connected\/social-media\"><span>FTC on social media<\/span><\/a><span>, read <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/consumer.ftc.gov\/consumer-alerts\"><span>consumer alerts<\/span><\/a><span> and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/business-guidance\/blog\"><span>business blog<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/stay-connected\" data-entity-type=\"node\" data-entity-uuid=\"179e3a69-54d7-43a6-aab3-3c5a9f847919\" data-entity-substitution=\"canonical\"><span>sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"views-element-container block block-views block-views-blockftc-press-release-block-7\" id=\"block-views-block-ftc-press-release-block-7--3\">\n<div class=\"block-content-container\">\n<div class=\"view view-ftc-press-release__block_7 view-ftc-press-release view-id-ftc_press_release view-display-id-block_7 js-view-dom-id-600e6ea8795d7ed5b88dcac4f1fc4bd18899036215e05d8de2c63e184455edfe view--block\">\n<div class=\"view__content\">\n<div class=\"view-content\">\n<div class=\"views-row\">\n<h3 class=\"views-label views-label-field-media-contacts\">Media Contact<\/h3>\n<div class=\"paragraph paragraph--type--media-contact paragraph--view-mode--default\">\n<div class=\"paragraph__content\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-media-contact-single field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field--count-1\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<article class=\"node node--type-biography node--view-mode-contact-information node--78638\">\n<div class=\"node__content\">\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2026\/07\/mailto:jhenderson2@ftc.gov\"><br \/>\n<span>Juliana Gruenwald Henderson<\/span><br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-division field--type-string field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">Office of Public Affairs<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-phone field--type-telephone field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">202-326-2924<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2026\/07\/ftc-states-act-against-hims-hers-deceptive-unlawful-privacy-practices\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Press Release Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2026\/07\/ftc-states-act-against-hims-hers-deceptive-unlawful-privacy-practices\">Press Release Feed<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Complaint alleges telehealth provider shared consumers\u2019 sensitive health information with third-party advertising platforms despite promising patient privacy The Federal Trade Commission, joined by Utah and California, by and through Los Angeles County Counsel, today sued Hims &amp; Hers alleging that the telehealth provider shared consumers\u2019 sensitive health information about medical conditions with third-party advertising platforms&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":267,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-civil-service-independent-agencies-federal-trade-commission"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=477"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":684,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477\/revisions\/684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}