Bloomberg Law spoke to Partner Carol C. Villegas about the class action lawsuits against Meta Platforms over allegations that patients' private medical information was unlawfully taken and used for profit.

Meta Platforms Inc. is facing legal scrutiny over allegedly targeting ads to people based on information about their health collected via code in hospital websites, drawing attention to potential digital gaps in patient privacy protections. Facebook’s corporate parent Meta says websites or apps that use Pixel aren’t meant to send sensitive health information to the company.

At least 664 hospital system or medical provider websites have sent data to Facebook via its Pixel tracking tool, alleges one complaint filed in California federal court by someone referred to as “John Doe.”  Another compliant filed by “Jane Doe” claims that Facebook showed her targeted ads related to her heart disease and joint pain.

“If you walk into their office, you have to sign a HIPAA form. With Pixel, there’s no such thing,” said Ms. Villegas, "These hospitals have an obligation to patients to provide them with notice on where their medical information is going."