Here's another headache for Ubisoft: Lawsuit alleges it illegally shared Ubisoft Store customer data with Meta

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: The Ubisoft logo is displayed during the Brand Licensing Europe at ExCel London on September 24, 2024 in London, England. Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) event is dedicated to licensing and brand extension, bringing together retailers, licensees and manufacturers for three days of deal-making, networking and trend spotting. (Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

As if it doesn't have enough to worry about, Ubisoft is now facing a potential class action lawsuit alleging it illegally shared personally identifiable information about Ubisoft Store users with Meta.

The Ubisoft Store isn't anywhere near the behemoth of Steam, but it's there and people use it. Likewise, the game subscription service Ubisoft+ is no Game Pass but the fact of its continued existence means some number of people are paying monthly fees to access it. Both require the usual array of information, including your name, address, and credit card information—very typical stuff.

The problem, according to the lawsuit (available in full from CourtListener), is that Ubisoft makes use of Pixel, which Meta describes as "a piece of code on your website that can help you better understand the effectiveness of your advertising and the actions people take on your site, like visiting a page or adding an item to their cart." Simply put, anything you do on the Ubisoft website while you're logged into Facebook is seen and tracked for use in "retargeting," which is essentially the process of convincing people who are buying your stuff to buy more of your stuff.

Vaguely dystopian, sure, but that's just business as usual in this day and age: Anyone who thinks their data isn't being picked over with a fine tooth comb and fed into the gaping maw of the Capitalism Machine isn't paying attention. But this particular implementation of consumer surveillance is unlawful, according to the lawsuit, because it exposes personally identifiable information "to any person of ordinary technical skill who received that data," and does so without disclosing in advance that it's happening.

This, the suit states, is a violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act, the Federal Wiretap Act, and the California Invasion of Privacy Act, and for that plaintiffs Trevor Lakes and Alex Rajjoub—both of whom purchased multiple games from the Ubisoft Store—"individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated"  are seeking financial damages and an order compelling Ubisoft to either get rid of Pixel or obtain consent from its user to share their data—another check-box for us to blast through, I suppose.

There's still a good way to go before anything comes of it—the suit is still awaiting class action certification, for one thing—but given Ubisoft's current struggles, I'm sure it's not welcome news. Following "softer than expected" sales of Star Wars Outlaws and a last-minute delay of Assassin's Creed Shadows, the company is pulling out all the stops—including a full-scale return to Steam—to right its ship and get its share price pointed in a vaguely upward direction again. Ubisoft's founding Guillemot family is also reportedly having discussions with major investor Tencent that could see the company taken private.

Ubisoft declined to comment on the lawsuit.

TOPICS
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft reportedly has an anti-harassment plan in place for Assassin's Creed Shadows developers
Redhead woman using computer laptop at home stressed with hand on head, shocked with shame and surprise face, angry and frustrated. Fear and upset for mistake.
Court documents show not only did Meta torrent terabytes of pirated books to train AI models, employees wouldn't stop emailing each other about it: 'Torrenting from a corporate laptop doesn't feel right'
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Fortnite jacked Peter Griffin
Parents are suing Epic over Fortnite item shop 'FOMO' timers they say are inaccurate and manipulative
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: The Ubisoft logo is displayed during the Brand Licensing Europe at ExCel London on September 24, 2024 in London, England. Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) event is dedicated to licensing and brand extension, bringing together retailers, licensees and manufacturers for three days of deal-making, networking and trend spotting. (Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images)
Ubisoft closes another studio, announces layoffs at 3 more as part of 'ongoing efforts to prioritize projects and reduce costs'
Watch DOgs 2
Ubisoft's grudging crawlback to Steam continues with achievements for Watch Dogs 2 added a mere 9 years after release
Latest in Gaming Industry
PC Gamer magazine issue 408 Doom: The Dark Ages
PC Gamer magazine's new issue is on sale now: Doom: The Dark Ages
Two brightly colored stormtroopers dressed like Run-DMC stand in front of PAX Australia's WELCOME HOME banner.
Tickets for PAX Australia 2025 are on sale now
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
Monster Hunter Wilds' stockpile master studying a manifest
As layoffs and studio closures continue to deathroll the western AAA industry, analyst points out 5 of 8 major Japanese companies hit all-time share prices this year
A still from a video announcement of Game Informer's return, featuring the magazine's Halo 2 issue.
Game Informer is back from the dead: 'The whole team has returned'
Typing on internet search toolbar: What am I doing?
How a Microsoft exec managed to pitch Microsoft Word through the genius tactic of being able to actually use it in a 'type-off' demanded by clients: 'I was the only one who'd actually been a secretary'
Latest in News
Crysis hero Prophet running down a beach while under fire
Crysis Remastered Trilogy activates maximum value mode as upgraded version of the legendary, hardware-crushing FPS series is currently 60% off
A goblin with sharp teeth, wearing goggles, lets out a mischievous cackle in WoW's latest patch: Undermine(d).
World of Warcraft's started swiping good ideas from one of its most popular user-made UI addons, and it's honestly about time
A female druidic figure clutches a heart riven with thorns in Hunt: Showdown
'We want to increase the cost of silence': Hunt: Showdown 1896's latest update brings a new event, a massive list of bugfixes and a tougher challenge for stealthy players
It's ENA! From the free adventure Dream BBQ!
Mindbending free multimedia adventure ENA: Dream BBQ is out now, has activated all my neurons and opened my third eye
PC Gamer magazine issue 408 Doom: The Dark Ages
PC Gamer magazine's new issue is on sale now: Doom: The Dark Ages
A gigantic terracotta sentinel made of living armor
Total War: Warhammer 3's army of Cathay has broken containment and is making its way to tabletop Warhammer at last