A class action lawsuit against Home Depot has been approved by Canadian courts, alleging that the company improperly shared customer data with Facebook’s parent company, Meta, without customer consent.
Why It Matters
Class action lawsuits are designed to address grievances shared by a large group of individuals, making them an efficient way to pursue legal claims in cases where multiple people have experienced similar harm.
The Lawsuit Details
On Tuesday, Justice Peter Edelmann authorized the certification of the class action for the alleged privacy breach. However, this certification does not imply that Home Depot is guilty.
The lawsuit claims that customers who opted to receive their receipts via email were not made aware that their personal information, including email addresses and purchasing data, was being shared with Meta for purposes beyond what they had consented to. Meta allegedly provided a service to Home Depot to analyze its social media advertising campaigns and their connection to in-store sales.
Also Read – Cash App Users Can Claim Thousands in $15M Data Breach Settlement – Here’s How
Home Depot argued that customers had no expectation of privacy, as the shared information was not considered sensitive. However, Justice Edelmann disagreed, stating that privacy expectations should not be assessed in a piecemeal manner. He noted that while Home Depot was able to gather and use millions of individual email addresses for sophisticated data analysis, it was “perplexing” that they could not assess the impact of this data sharing on individuals.
The class action lawsuit involves over six million emails exchanged between Home Depot and Meta over several years. While it remains unclear exactly what data has been retained by both companies, Home Depot is known to have access to some or all of the relevant transaction and email information.
Also Read – Capital One Settlement: Key Benefits You Can Still Access After the Claims Deadline
Who Is Eligible for the Class Action?
The class action includes individuals who shopped at Home Depot in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, or Newfoundland and Labrador between October 1, 2018, and October 31, 2022, and provided their email addresses to receive electronic receipts.
Why Americans Are Not Eligible
The requirements for class action lawsuits in Canada differ from those in the United States, meaning that only Canadian residents who meet the eligibility criteria can join the lawsuit.
Privacy Policies in the U.S. vs. Canada
Both the U.S. and Canadian branches of Home Depot collect and disclose customer information for a variety of purposes, including order processing, improving services, and marketing. However, the Canadian version of the privacy statement provides more detailed information on the type of data collected, including demographics, social media interactions, and even property-related data, such as square footage and lot size.
While the U.S. privacy policy includes disclosures to manufacturers, law enforcement, and affiliates, the Canadian policy focuses on social media interactions, specifically with platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.
Also Read – Walgreens $100M Settlement: Check If You’re Eligible for a Payment
What’s Next?
With the class action now certified, the case will proceed to trial, where it will be determined whether Home Depot violated privacy laws and what compensation may be owed to affected customers. Individuals can join the class action through its website with no financial commitment.
Other similar class action lawsuits have been filed in Québec and Saskatchewan, and the case will likely serve as a precedent for future privacy-related claims against companies in Canada.
