BC Court Approves Class-Action Lawsuit Regarding Privacy Concerns on Home Depot Receipts
A recent ruling from a British Columbia Supreme Court judge has given the green light for a class-action lawsuit against Home Depot. The lawsuit centers on allegations that Home Depot breached customer privacy by collecting and sharing information from emailed purchase receipts.
According to the lawsuit, Home Depot obtained data from B.C. customers who opted for email receipts, which included details like purchase prices, brands purchased, and customer email addresses. This information was then allegedly shared without proper consent with Meta, a tech giant. Justice Peter Edelmann approved the certification of the class for the privacy breaches, although he dismissed claims about other violations by Home Depot, emphasizing that certification doesn’t imply wrongdoing. A response from Home Depot was not immediately available.
The court document revealed that Meta, known for Facebook, provided a service to Home Depot to gauge the impact of their social media advertising on in-store sales. Home Depot argued that the shared information was not overly sensitive, but Edelmann disagreed, stating that privacy expectations should not be viewed piece by piece. The case involves over six million emails with corresponding data exchanged with Meta over multiple years.
Edelmann highlighted the impracticality of handling hundreds of thousands of individual claims, emphasizing the value of pursuing a class-action lawsuit in such circumstances. The lawsuit contends that Home Depot customers reasonably expected their purchase information wouldn’t be used for marketing by Home Depot or Meta. Similar lawsuits with comparable claims have also been initiated in Quebec and Saskatchewan.
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