Forbes class action alleges company shares subscriber information with Facebook

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Forbes subscriber data sharing class action overview: 

• Who: A Forbes subscriber sued the news company in a class action lawsuit.
• Why: The plaintiff says Forbes illegally collects its subscribers’ personal information and shares it with Facebook.
• Where: The case was filed in New York federal court.

News company Forbes illegally shares its subscribers’ personal information with Facebook without their consent, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Joseph Lamb filed the class action complaint July 26 in a New York federal court, alleging violations of the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA). 

Lamb, a Forbes.com subscriber and Facebook user, said the company gathered and shared its subscribers’ personally identifiable information, including a record of every video clip, title and hyperlink viewed on its site, to Facebook without their consent.

Forbes discloses this information so it can better match visitors to their Facebook profiles, which allows the company to better track analytics and target its advertisements, the Forbes class action states.

“By disclosing his event data and identifiers, defendant disclosed plaintiff Lamb’s personally identifiable information to a third party,” according to the lawsuit.

In his complaint, Lamb says those who wish to subscribe to Forbes.com are forced to create an account and provide their full name, email address, job level and job function.

The news provider then gathers data about a person’s interactions on its site and shares that information with Facebook, which then matches those identifiers with the subscriber’s subsequent activity on Forbes.com, he says.

Forbes class action latest in a string of similar claims

The Forbes class action is the latest in a string of entertainment platforms to be hit with class actions alleging violations of the VPPA.

In March, a consumer filed a class action lawsuit against television network HGTV, alleging it secretly shares subscriber viewing history with Facebook to benefit Facebook’s advertisers and its bottom line.

Meanwhile, in July, a CBS and Facebook user filed a lawsuit against CBS’ owner, Paramount Global, for allegedly tracking and sharing subscriber data with Facebook without consumers’ consent. 

Lamb is looking to represent a nationwide class of Forbes subscribers who have Facebook accounts, watched videos on the Forbes.com website and had their information shared with Facebook without their consent. 

He seeks damages of $2,500 for each violation of the law, an injunction, certification of the class action, fees, costs and a jury trial. 

What do you think of the Forbes class action? Let us know in the comments! 

Lamb is represented by Joshua D. Arisohn, Philip L. Fraietta and Christopher R. Reilly of Bursor & Fisher PA; Gary M. Klinger and Nick Suciu III of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman PLLC; and Andrew J. Shamis of Shamis & Gentile PA.

The Forbes subscriber data sharing class action lawsuit is Lamb v. Forbes Media LLC, Case No. 1:22-cv-06319, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

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