A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Perplexity AI in San Francisco. The plaintiff, John Doe from Utah, accuses the startup of secretly routing sensitive user data to Meta Platforms and Google.
The lawsuit alleges violations of California privacy laws, as well as federal and state fraud regulations. It claims that users’ private conversations with Perplexity AI are being accessed by Meta and Google, even when the users are in Incognito mode.
Perplexity AI uses undetectable tracking software in its search engine code, which allows data from users’ conversations to be transmitted to third parties for advertising purposes and sold. John Doe alleges he has shared very sensitive information with the chatbot, including family finances, tax information, and personal investment strategies.
According to Perplexity AI’s spokesperson Jesse Dwyer, “We have not been served any lawsuit that matches this description, so we are unable to verify its existence or claims.” Meta referred to its Facebook help page, showing that sharing sensitive information constitutes a violation of company policies.