Healthline Media LLC has reached a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, agreeing to pay $1.55 million for privacy violations related to the California Consumer Privacy Act. The company failed to provide consumers with the option to opt out of targeted advertising and shared data without necessary protections. Additionally, it did not verify its opt-out mechanism or confirm compliance from third parties with privacy standards. The settlement prohibits sharing articles revealing potential medical conditions and mandates audits of data-sharing contracts.
Healthline Media LLC will pay $1.55 million in penalties for privacy violations under a pending settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The settlement is the largest for violations under the California Consumer Privacy Act. The website publisher did not allow consumers to opt out of targeted advertising, and it shared data without proper protections.
According to Bonta's office, Healthline did not properly check if the opt-out mechanism worked and allegedly assumed third parties receiving data agreed to abide by state privacy standards.
Healthline allegedly shared article titles read by consumers, which could reveal their health conditions. Disclosing health data for unexpected uses such as advertising violates state law.
California continues to lead the nation in enforcing our robust privacy protection law, and businesses that collect consumer data must honor consumers' privacy rights.
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