• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, August 27, 2024

Capital One has been hit with a privacy lawsuit by four customers who allege the bank's website included tracking code that allowed Google, Meta, Microsoft and other outside tech companies to gather data about customers' online activity.

The bank allegedly “knowingly and secretly” implemented “code-based tracking devices” in its website, the customers allege in a 99-page class-action complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The case was brought by California residents Vishal Shah, Gary Ingraham, Deia Williams, and Devin Rose.

They allege that tracking code offered by Meta, Google and other companies, and present on Capital One's site, disclosed information about customers' accounts, credit card applications, and employment.

Customers “simply do not anticipate that a trusted financial institution will send their personal and financial information to hidden third parties (who in turn share with fourth parties), all of whom profit off of it,” the suit alleges.

The plaintiffs add that they didn't authorize the alleged disclosures in writing, or have a “real opportunity” to opt out.

The complaint includes claims that Capital One violated various federal and state laws, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which requires banks to let customers opt out of the sharing of private financial information, and wiretap laws.

Among other allegations, the plaintiffs says Capital One sends cookie-based data to Meta that allows it to identify Facebook users and learn the specific Capital One pages they viewed, as well as their financial data.

Capital One hasn't yet responded to MediaPost's request for comment.