Perplexity Sent User Conversations to Google and Meta, Lawsuit Alleges

A class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco says Perplexity's Incognito Mode doesn't really do what it sounds like it does. The complaint claims the AI search service sent user chats to Google and Meta, even when people thought they were browsing privately.

The plaintiff is a Utah man who says he used Perplexity to talk through his family's finances, tax situation, and investment strategies. He thought those conversations were private. The lawsuit alleges that trackers from Google and Meta were embedded in the platform the whole time.

Perplexity says it hasn't received the lawsuit yet and can't verify the claims. Meta pointed to its policies, which say advertisers aren't allowed to send sensitive information to the company. Google hasn't commented. The case covers users from December 2022 to February 2026, so we'll see where it goes.