Since 2017, greater than 55 million individuals have used or visited GoodRx’s cell apps or web site, the F.T.C. stated. From 2017 to 2020, the corporate “revealed extraordinarily intimate and delicate particulars” to 3rd occasion advert tech and advertising corporations like Fb, Google, Criteo and Twilio, the grievance stated, repeatedly violating its public guarantees not to take action. The info that was disclosed, the company stated, might hyperlink customers to power bodily and psychological well being points together with substance abuse.

GoodRx additionally didn’t put limits on how Fb, Google and different corporations might use its clients’ well being data, federal regulators stated, giving the third events the power to make use of the information for inner enterprise functions like analysis and product improvement. Regulators stated GoodRx additionally “failed to keep up enough” protections for customers’ private data like satisfactory formal, written privateness and data-sharing insurance policies.

The F.T.C.’s case facilities on GoodRx’s use of monitoring instruments from Fb, Google and different corporations. Hundreds of thousands of web sites and apps use such instruments — generally known as “pixels” and “software program improvement kits” — to trace and share knowledge on their customers’ actions with third events for enterprise functions like advert focusing on and person analytics.

Such monitoring instruments can acquire data like customers’ first and final names, e mail addresses, cell phone numbers, distinctive system ID codes, areas, genders and Web Protocol, or I.P., addresses. They’ll additionally report particulars on person actions like opening an app, clicking on a hyperlink or data on a particular sickness or treatment.

Whereas such knowledge sharing is widespread in shopper sectors like retail and journey, the F.T.C. grievance stated GoodRx’s use of monitoring instruments to share private well being knowledge with promoting platforms had led to misleading and unauthorized knowledge disclosures — an argument that challenges enterprise as ordinary within the digital well being trade.

GoodRx stated it eliminated the Fb monitoring pixel practically three years in the past.

Over the previous few years, the F.T.C. has intensified its deal with well being privateness.

In 2021, the F.T.C. accused the developer of Flo, a well being monitoring app utilized by greater than 100 million girls, of deceptive customers about its data-handling practices by sharing intimate well being particulars about their durations and pregnancies with Google and Fb. Flo agreed to a settlement with the company that prohibited the corporate from deceptive customers on privateness and required it to acquire consent from them earlier than sharing their well being particulars.