Social media class action lawsuits, settlements overview:
- Who: Consumers recently filed class action lawsuits against LinkedIn, Coffee Meets Bagel, X and the maker of the dating apps Tinder, Hinge and The League.
- Why: The class action lawsuits involve workplace culture, compromised data, biometric privacy and addictive design.
- Where: The class action lawsuits were filed in U.S. federal courts.
Consumers recently filed social media-related class action lawsuits over biometric privacy, workplace culture, compromised data and the allegedly addictive nature of a trio of dating apps.
In addition to class action lawsuits, Google recently agreed to a $350 million dollar settlement, and Meta Platforms announced it’s changing the default content setting for teenage Instagram and Facebook users to its most restrictive.
Class action claims Tinder, Hinge dating apps designed to addict users
A group of dating app users filed a class action lawsuit against MatchGroup, the maker of Tinder, Hinge and The League earlier, this month, claiming it purposely designed the apps to be addictive so users would continue paying for subscriptions.
The class action lawsuit claims MatchGroup designed the dating apps with addictive, gamelike features that lock users into a perpetual pay-to-play loop that prioritizes corporate profits over its customers’ relationship goals.
“The undisclosed defective design is intended to erode users’ ability to disengage from the Platforms and turn users into addicts who will purchase ever-more expensive subscriptions to unlock unlimited and other ‘special’ features’,” the dating app class action states.
LinkedIn unlawfully tracked California DMV website visitors, class action claims
A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against LinkedIn Corp. earlier this month over claims the company unlawfully tracked the activity of members who visited the California Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) website.
The class action lawsuit claims LinkedIn used a tracking pixel to monitor visitors’ activity on the DMV website, particularly to apply for, renew or check the status of a disability placard.
“At no time did LinkedIn or the DMV disclose to Plaintiff or Class Members that LinkedIn was tracking the activities of its members on the DMV website, obtaining their personal information, or learning the contents of their communications with the DMV,” the LinkedIn DMV class action states.
Coffee Meets Bagel unlawfully used users’ biometric data, class action says
A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Coffee Meets Bagel Inc., a dating and social networking app, in January over claims the company violated Illinois biometric privacy law with the way it collected, stored, obtained and utilized its users’ biometric data.
The class action lawsuit claims Coffee Meets Bagel violated Illinois’ biometric privacy law by creating a biometric template of facial scans it allegedly requests from its users so it can verify their identities.
“Coffee Meets Bagel users have no means by which to prevent identity theft, unauthorized tracking or other unlawful or improper use of this highly personal and private information,” the dating app class action states.
X pushed out female, older employees following Musk takeover, class action claims
A former X employee filed a class action lawsuit against the company last month over claims it terminated female and older workers at a higher rate after Elon Musk took over the company in Oct. 2022.
The class action lawsuit claims X also instituted policies to push its female and older workers out of their jobs, including expecting employees to work an “unreasonable” amount of hours and within physical offices immediately.
“Musk would certainly have known that these policy changes and expectations would have a disproportionate impact on women, as well as force older employees out of the company,” the X class action states.
Google to pay $350Mn to settle claims it hid Google+ data breach
In settlement news, Google agreed to pay $350 million earlier this month to resolve claims the company hid a data breach that impacted Google+ users and went on for three years as a result of a software glitch.
The complaint claimed Google was aware there had been a data breach as early as 2018 but allegedly failed to acknowledge the incident while simultaneously stressing a commitment to data security in the public.
Google previously agreed to pay $7.5 million in Jan. 2020 to put an end to claims in a separate data breach that impacted its Google+ platform users.
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