A class action lawsuit has been filed against Ubisoft, the publisher of Assassin’s Creed. The lawsuit accuses Ubisoft of allegedly sharing users’ personally identifiable information (PII) with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, without proper consent. According to a report from Bloomberg Law, the complaint alleges that Ubisoft uses Meta’s Pixel tracking software on its website to send PII to Meta when players purchase games on the Ubisoft Store or subscribe to Ubisoft+.
The complaint emphasizes that Ubisoft does not inform users that their data is being collected by Meta’s tracking Pixel and shared with the tech giant. “Defendant does not disclose on the website that PII users’ personally identifying information would be captured by the Meta Platforms, Inc. tracking Pixel,” the lawsuit states. It also warns that this exposes subscribers’ PII to anyone with moderate technical skill who might access the data. The plaintiffs argue that transparency about data-sharing practices is critical for individuals when deciding whether to trust a service with their personal information.
The lawsuit claims that Ubisoft’s actions violate the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), which was enacted in 1988 to prevent the sharing of video rental customers’ PII. Although the VPPA was amended in 2013 to allow video rental services like Netflix to share users’ information with social media platforms, the amendment only permits such sharing if users provide explicit consent. Ubisoft’s failure to disclose its data-sharing practices with Meta is seen as a breach of this requirement and other privacy laws.
Furthermore, the complaint accuses Ubisoft of deliberately implementing Meta’s Pixel to track user activity on its website for marketing purposes. It argues that Ubisoft knowingly allowed the tracking tool and failed to obtain user consent before sharing their PII with Meta.
Although the lawsuit has not yet received class action certification, the plaintiffs seek a jury trial. They demand financial compensation for all affected users. They are calling for a court order to compel Ubisoft to either remove the Pixel from its website or obtain consent from users before sharing their data.