Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit for $46 million over claims it shared patient data with tech companies.
Several patients sued the health system in 2023, asserting that its consumer-behavior tracking technologies transmitted their personal and health information to companies including Adobe, Google and Twitter without the individuals’ consent. A judge in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted preliminary approval of the proposed settlement, which could go as high as $47.5 million, Dec. 1.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we removed certain online technologies from our websites and mobile applications and informed members in 2024,” a Kaiser Permanente spokesperson told Becker’s. “In addition, Kaiser Permanente implemented additional measures with the guidance of experts to safeguard against the recurrence of this type of incident.
“After careful consideration, we elected to settle this case — although we have not identified any members’ private information being misused or at risk — to avoid the prolonged time, expense, and uncertainty of continued litigation.”
