If you purchased an HIV at-home testing kit from OraQuick.com, your privacy may have been breached.
An investigation by attorneys at Pogust Goodhead has revealed that a trusted at-home HIV testing brand that markets itself as confidential has been harvesting and selling user data.
The CDC recommends that people with certain risk factors should test for HIV at least once a year, including:
- Those who have had more than one intimate partner since their last HIV test
- Men who have had sex with other men
- Those who don’t know a partner’s sexual or health history.
In 2016, the World Health Organization endorsed self-test kits for HIV testing, noting that they were a convenient and confidential option for consumers.
Purchases fromOraQuick.com
Believing they were doing the right thing for their health and community, customers seeking both convenience and privacy turned to OraQuick.com with the assurance that their sensitive information would be handled with care.
Instead, OraSure Technologies, Inc. (OraSure), the manufacturer and seller of the OraQuick In-Home HIV test kit, knowingly harvested, used, and profited from their personal data.
How did OraSure fail customers?
OraSure markets the OraQuick In-Home HIV test kit as offering private and fast results. It has been branded as the ‘first and only HIV test that delivers your results with all the comforts and privacy of home,’ with the collection of an oral fluid sample. The OraQuick.com website repeatedly touts the company as offering anonymous tests that are discreet and confidential.
Despite repeatedly assuring consumers that their data and the purchase of at-home testing kits would be kept confidential, OraSure shared customer’s private information with third parties, including Meta.
OraSure earns profits from this data and uses it in multiple ways including to enhance advertising.
OraSure’s privacy policy outlines how they “value your personal data and only share this valuable data within our affiliated companies. The data will not be shared with third parties without your written consent.” We believe this to be incorrect and misleading.
Therefore, any US resident who made a purchase on the OraQuick.com website and has a Facebook account potentially had their privacy affected and could be eligible to claim compensation at myathometestingclaim.com.
James Barry, Pogust Goodhead Partner currently investigating the OraQuick claim, said: “Profiting from compromising the confidentiality of people who have or suspect they may have HIV is unacceptable and affects everyone in the community.
“It can dissuade people from seeking diagnostic or medical treatment or other support services, and if people are scared to take tests over privacy concerns, fewer people will find out that they are HIV positive, and the risk of community transmission increases.”
How to join the action against OraQuick
If you purchased an in-home HIV testing kit from OraQuick.com and you have a Facebook account, you could be eligible for compensation.
Any US residents who made a purchase on the OraQuick.com website and have a Facebook account potentially had their privacy affected.
Head to MyAtHomeTestingClaim.com to learn more and get in touch for a confidential and free review of your potential claim.
Privacy knowledge at Pogust Goodhead
Pogust Goodhead’s legal team have decades of expertise in data privacy breaches. We are passionate about using litigation to ensure corporations around the world are held to a higher standard to keep their customers safe online and obtain justice and compensation for individuals when these companies fall short.
Our data privacy legal team in the US are investigating the claim.
If you are interested in a free, confidential conversation you can get in touch with our team by emailing intake@pogustgoodhead.com or calling (610) 941-4204.
