【AI + Privacy】Perplexity AI accused of violating privacy laws by sharing user personal data with Meta and Google

Reports from overseas media say that AI startup Perplexity AI has been hit with a class-action lawsuit filed by users, accusing it of secretly sharing users’ personal information from conversations with the platform to Meta and Google, which are subsidiaries of Alphabet, in violation of California privacy laws.

According to a proposed class-action complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Tuesday (the 31st), once users log in to the Perplexity homepage, the device automatically downloads trackers, allowing Meta and Google to gain full access to the conversation content between users and the Perplexity AI search engine. The complaint says these trackers are embedded in the search engine’s code, are difficult to detect, and automatically transmit conversations to Meta, Google, and other third parties.

The plaintiffs claim this enables the two tech giants to profit from the sensitive data, including running targeted ads for individuals and selling the data to more third parties. Even if users choose the platform’s incognito mode, their personal information would still be shared.

Meta and Google are also named as defendants

The lawsuit was brought by a man from Utah under the pseudonym John Doe. He said he had disclosed sensitive information such as his family finances, tax liabilities, investment portfolio, and investment strategies to the Perplexity chatbot, and sought to file a class action on behalf of all Perplexity users. The complaint also lists Meta and Google as defendants, accusing the two companies of violating federal and state computer privacy and fraud laws.

Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer said the company has not yet received any lawsuit documents matching the above description, so it cannot verify whether such a case exists or whether the related allegations are valid. A Meta spokesperson said that advertisers sending sensitive data to the company violates its policies. Google has not yet responded to the request for comment.

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