Walmart class action lawsuit claims company shares customer data with Meta

Walmart class action lawsuit over data sharing:

• WHO: Three Walmart customers have filed a class action lawsuit against the retailer.
• Why: The plaintiffs claim that the company illegally shared their video view information with Meta.
• Where: The class action lawsuit over Walmart data sharing was filed in federal court in Arkansas.

Three Walmart customers have filed a class action lawsuit against the retail giant, accusing the company of improperly sharing their video viewing information with Meta.

Plaintiffs Laurie Brown, Oluwakemi Fosudo and Abigail Musick filed a class action lawsuit against Walmart Inc. in federal court in Arkansas on July 15, accusing the company of violating the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA).

The trio alleges that Walmart improperly shared information about customers’ video playback with Meta Platforms Inc. (formerly Facebook) through a snippet of code known as “Meta Pixel.”

“Over the past two years, Defendant has systematically transmitted (and continues to transmit) its customers’ personal information to Meta for video viewing,” the lawsuit states.

Walmart data release includes Facebook ID

According to the lawsuit, the data shared includes the Facebook ID (FID) and the titles of certain pre-recorded video materials purchased by customers.

A FID is a unique identifier linked to a specific metaprofile, the complaint states, that publicly identifies the person to whom it belongs and contains other personal information.

By entering “Facebook.com/(FID)” into a browser, one can access the profile linked to the FID, say the plaintiffs.

“Therefore, the FID identifies an individual more accurately than a name because, while multiple individuals may have the same name, each individual’s Facebook profile (and associated FID) uniquely identifies one and only one individual,” the lawsuit states.

Walmart shared information without consent

The plaintiffs allege that Walmart disclosed this information without customers’ prior consent, thereby violating the VPPA.

Fosudo said she purchased pre-recorded video footage from the Walmart website in December 2024.

Fosudo, who had a Meta account at the time, claims Walmart then shared her FID and the exact title of the video she purchased, as well as other information, with Meta without her consent.

The plaintiffs therefore want to represent everyone in the United States who has purchased recorded video material from the Walmart website in the last two years and maintained a meta account. They are demanding certification of the class action lawsuit, compensation of $2,500 for each plaintiff and class member, and a judgment against Walmart.

Last month, Capital One and Walmart Inc. reached an agreement to refute the retail giant’s claims that the credit card company had failed to meet customer service standards set out in a 2018 contract between the two companies.

What do you think about the allegations against Walmart in this case? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by H. Gregory Campbell of Campbell Law Firm PA and Frank S. Hedin, Arun G. Ravindran and Elliot O. Jackson of Hedin LLP.

The Walmart VPPA class action lawsuit Is Laurie Brown et al. v. Walmart Inc.Case No. 5:24-cv-05144-TLB in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

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