• Perplexity AI robot accused of leaking users’ data to Meta and Google
• The leaked information includes personal chats, financial details, and investment data

Perplexity has faced legal accusations of secretly sharing users’ personal information with Meta and Google, violating California privacy laws.

According to the proposed class-action complaint filed on March 31 in federal court in San Francisco, tracking programs are automatically loaded onto users’ devices as soon as they visit Perplexity’s homepage, giving Meta and Google full access to conversations between users and the company’s AI search engine.

The complaint states that this method allows the two companies to “exploit this sensitive data for commercial purposes, including targeting users with ads and selling their information to other parties.”

Even when users activate Perplexity’s “Incognito” mode, their personal data remains at risk of being shared.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Utah man identified as “John Doe,” who aims to represent a class of Perplexity users.

It notes that the man shared information about his finances, tax obligations, investment portfolio, and strategies with the company’s chatbot.

The complaint further alleges that Perplexity embedded “undetectable” tracking software into the search engine’s code, automatically transmitting users’ conversations to Meta, Google, and other third parties.

The suit also targets Meta and Google, accusing them of violating federal and California electronic privacy and fraud laws.

A Meta spokesperson referred to a Facebook help page stating that advertisers are prohibited from sending sensitive data to the company.

Perplexity spokesman Jesse Dwyer said: “We have not received any lawsuit matching this description, so we cannot verify its existence or the accuracy of the claims.”