Perplexity AI accused of embedding ‘undetectable’ trackers for secretly routing sensitive user data to Meta and Google
Summary
Perplexity AI is being sued in a proposed class-action lawsuit claiming the company embedded “undetectable” trackers into its search engine to secretly route sensitive user data to Meta and Google. The lawsuit, filed by a user named John Doe, alleges this practice violates California privacy laws and that user conversations, even within “Incognito” mode, are being transmitted to the tech giants. The complaint further asserts that Meta and Google could exploit this data for targeted advertising and resale to third parties. Meta stated it prohibits advertisers from sending sensitive information, while Perplexity has not yet verified the lawsuit's existence. Separately, Perplexity is also facing legal action from Amazon, which alleges the AI startup covertly accessed customer accounts and poses security risks through its automated shopping feature, leading to a temporary block on accessing Amazon via its Comet browser.
(Source:Livemint)