Penalty Amount
$1,550,000
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a $1.55 million settlement with health information website publisher Healthline Media LLC, resolving allegations that the company violated the CCPA and Unfair Competition Law. Violations included failing to honor consumer opt-out requests, sharing sensitive health data with third parties without required privacy protections, and using deceptive consent banners that did not disable tracking cookies. The settlement imposes injunctive terms, compliance requirements, and a civil penalty, marking the largest CCPA settlement to date.
Healthline must pay $1.55 million in civil penalties and is permanently enjoined from sharing article titles that could reveal a consumer’s medical diagnosis. The company must ensure opt-out mechanisms (including Global Privacy Control) function properly, implement a CCPA compliance program that includes auditing third-party contracts for required privacy terms, and maintain accurate privacy policies and online disclosures.
In-house legal teams, especially at ad-supported online publishers or companies handling sensitive health data, should review vendor agreements with ad networks, tracking technology providers, and third-party data recipients to ensure they include all CCPA-mandated privacy terms, including requirements to honor opt-out requests (including via Global Privacy Control) and prohibitions on sharing sensitive health data without proper protections. Privacy policies and consent banners must be audited to confirm they accurately disclose tracking practices, that opt-out mechanisms function to disable all tracking cookies when selected, and that no deceptive dark patterns (like non-functional consent banners) are present. Companies should also review data sharing practices to comply with purpose limitation principles, specifically prohibiting transmission of data (such as article titles) that could link consumers to medical diagnoses, and update compliance programs to include regular audits of third-party contracts and privacy disclosures.
Entity
Healthline Media LLC
Also known as: Healthline
Industry
Media & EntertainmentOfficial Press Release
https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-announces-largest-ccpa-settlement-date-secures-155
People v. Healthline Media Complaint
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/People%20v.%20Healthline%20Media%20Complaint.pdf
Signed Judgment 0
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Signed%20Judgment_0.pdf
Proposed Order re Injunction with case number
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Proposed%20Order%20re%20Injunction%20with%20case%20number.pdf
California Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/privacy-enforcement-actions
"website publisher Healthline Media LLC (Healthline)"
"$1.55 million in civil penalties"
"Tuesday, July 1, 2025"
"violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)"
"violated the CCPA and the Unfair Competition Law"
"Failing to opt consumers out of the sharing of their personal information for targeted advertising."
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