Walmart and Sam's Club have agreed to settle claims that they illegally shared customers' personal and shopping information with third-party advertising companies without their consent. And do you know what that means? They may owe you money.
The agreement comes from a lawsuit alleging that Walmart used third-party tracking tools, including Meta pixels, on its website to collect and disclose customers' confidential personal and purchase data.
Walmart agreed to settle the suit, and will pay about $908,815 to cover customer restitution, civil penalties, and attorneys' fees.
"We're glad to have resolved this matter," a company spokesperson told The Independent.
After all is said and done, the settlement creates a $388,815 restitution fund for eligible customers who visited Walmart's website between Jan. 1, 2020, and May 20, 2024, and whose personal and purchase information was allegedly collected by third parties.
Because the suit was filed in Los Angeles, any money left unclaimed will be transferred to Los Angeles County's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.
No public settlement application system has been set up yet, but it will be. Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs says it will establish a direct claims portal or online submission form for the restitution money.
"People's personal information is not a product for corporations to exploit," Solis said. "Companies that collect consumer data have a responsibility to protect it, not use it as a tool to increase profits without people's knowledge or consent," Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said.
