A class action lawsuit filed on February 3, 2023 alleges that Cedars-Sinai Health System and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles shared patient data with marketing and social media companies such as Google, Microsoft Bing, and Meta (Facebook’s parent company). According to the lawsuit, Cedars-Sinai used tracking code deliberately embedded in its website to transmit patients’ communications to third parties.. The plaintiffs contend that the code thus “served as real time wiretaps on patients' communications.” For example, when a patient searched for medical treatment, a certain physician, or made an appointment through the Cedars-Sinai website, the health system simultaneously transmitted such information to Meta, which Meta could then offer to its advertising clients so those clients could market targeted services to those patients. The lawsuit was originally filed in the California Superior Court, but was subsequently removed to federal court.