Perplexity AI Sued for Allegedly Sending User Chats to Meta and Google

Perplexity AI is being sued in a class action lawsuit that alleges the company secretly sent users' private conversations to Meta and Google through hidden tracking software.

A 135-page complaint filed on March 31, 2026 in federal court in San Francisco claims that tracking tools embedded in Perplexity's code transmitted user chat data — including both the questions users asked and the AI's responses — directly to Meta and Google before Perplexity itself even processed the information. The lawsuit alleges this was never disclosed to users and happened without their consent.

The complaint names Perplexity AI, Meta, and Google as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, the tracking technology allegedly allowed Meta and Google to harvest users' email addresses, Facebook IDs, IP addresses, and device information. From there, the companies could allegedly match that data to specific users by name and address.

The lawsuit also claims the tracking worked even when users were in Perplexity's "incognito mode" — a feature Perplexity markets as creating anonymous threads that expire after 24 hours.

The lead plaintiff, identified only as John Doe, says he used Perplexity to ask about Social Security benefits, Roth IRA conversions, and investment advice — all under the assumption that his conversations were private.

Perplexity has tens of millions of monthly active users and was valued at $20 billion after raising $200 million in September 2025. The complaint highlights the sensitivity of information users share with AI chatbots, including tax, legal, financial, health, and political topics.

Who's eligible

The lawsuit seeks to certify two classes. The first is a nationwide class of all free-tier users who chatted with Perplexity between December 7, 2022 and February 4, 2026. The second is a California-only subclass under the same time frame. Paid Pro and Max subscribers are excluded from both classes because they operate under different terms and conditions.

What the lawsuit is seeking

The complaint includes 14 counts, including allegations of invasion of privacy, violations of California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and claims for deceit and unfair competition. The plaintiff is asking the court to order Perplexity to stop the alleged tracking and is seeking damages.

Where things stand

Perplexity's chief communications officer Jesse Dwyer said the company has not been served and cannot verify the lawsuit's claims. Meta pointed to its policies that prohibit advertisers from sending sensitive data through its systems. Google has not publicly commented. There is no settlement yet.

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