Microsoft is tracking sex toy users — a lawsuit has been filed in the US

A woman is suing Microsoft and two major sex toy retailers in the United States. She claims that their websites track users without their consent, despite promises not to do so. In the complaint, San Francisco resident Stella Tatola claims that Babeland and Good Vibrations, both owned by Barnaby Ltd. LLC, allowed Microsoft to see what visitors to their sites were searching for and buying.

«Without the knowledge of the plaintiff and other users of the Barnaby website, in a gross violation of privacy, Barnaby allows an unnamed third party, Microsoft, to intercept, read, and use for commercial gain consumers’ personal information about their sexual practices and preferences collected from their activities on the Barnaby websites. This information includes, but is not limited to, product search and purchase initiation, as well as a unique Microsoft identifier for the consumer», — the complaint states.

It is alleged that the Good Vibrations and Babeland sites install trackers using Microsoft Clarity software, which «records in real time» and tracks users’ mouse movements, clicks or taps, scrolling, and site navigation.

«By allowing an undisclosed third party, Microsoft, to eavesdrop on and intercept users’ PPSI in this manner, including their sexual orientation, preferences and desires, among other highly sensitive, protected information, Barnaby violates its own Privacy Policy, which states that it will never disclose such information to third parties».

The complaint contains screenshots of the code of sexual health sites that claim to use Machine Unique Identifier («MUID» cookies), which «identify unique web browsers visiting Microsoft sites» and are used for advertising, analytics, and other purposes. This is alleged to violate the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the Federal Wiretap Act, and the reasonable expectation of privacy of California residents.

In February, a woman filed a class action lawsuit against Adam & Eve, another major sex toy retailer, alleging that its website provided Google with information about her searches for 8-inch dildos and straps.

Source: 404 Media