San Francisco-based Hims & Hers is facing a federal lawsuit accusing the telehealth company of turning sensitive health information into advertising fuel while making it difficult for customers to escape recurring subscriptions.
Reuters reported Wednesday that the Federal Trade Commission alleges Hims & Hers shared users' health data with Meta Platforms and Snap. The company, one of the largest telehealth players in the weight-loss drug market, also offers online appointments and prescriptions involving erectile dysfunction, hair loss and mental-health medications.
The FTC is filing the case alongside Los Angeles County and Utah, according to an agency spokesperson. The agency alleges that Hims & Hers charged some customers for prescriptions before they had a chance to meet with a provider, while also using cancellation practices that made it difficult to end subscriptions; the spokesperson said most customers do receive a provider consultation.
A Three-Year Investigation Finally Reaches Court
The lawsuit follows a regulatory inquiry that Hims & Hers disclosed long before today's filing. In a May SEC filing, the company said the FTC opened a Civil Investigative Demand in October 2023 focused on privacy, advertising and cancellation practices under the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.
Hims & Hers said the FTC communicated its findings in April 2026 and that the two sides were negotiating a settlement. The company recorded a $15 million accrual for probable losses and submitted an offer to settle without admitting liability or wrongdoing, while warning that its eventual exposure could be higher.
FTC Has Already Warned Telehealth Companies About Trackers
The privacy allegations fit into a broader FTC crackdown on the use of advertising technology around medical information. In 2023, the agency and the Department of Health and Human Services warned roughly 130 hospitals and telehealth providers that tools such as the Meta pixel and Google Analytics could disclose details about conditions, medications and treatment visits to third parties.
Earlier FTC actions against digital-health companies show the potential consequences. The agency finalized a $7.8 million BetterHelp order that barred the counseling service from sharing sensitive health data for advertising, while its GoodRx case targeted alleged disclosures of users’ prescription and health information to Facebook, Google and other companies.
What The Case Could Mean For Hims Customers
The FTC's allegations are not a court finding, and Hims & Hers will have an opportunity to contest them. But the case puts a bright regulatory spotlight on the bargain at the center of telehealth: consumers get fast, discreet access to care, while companies collect highly personal information and rely heavily on digital marketing to find new subscribers.
For San Francisco's digital-health industry, the lawsuit is another reminder that a website or app can be a medical front door even when it does not look like a traditional doctor's office. The legal fight could help define how aggressively telehealth companies may use social-media advertising systems without crossing the line into deceptive or unfair handling of health data.
