Former BuzzFeed Employees Sue Over Data Breach

Two former BuzzFeed employees have filed separate class action lawsuits against BuzzFeed Media Enterprises Inc. The plaintiffs contend that the company was negligent in its handling of sensitive personal data, which included Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and other private details belonging to employees and others. The lawsuits allege that BuzzFeed failed to implement reasonable security measures to safeguard this information.

The claims assert that BuzzFeed stored this data without encryption and left it accessible over the internet, which the plaintiffs argue violated Federal Trade Commission guidelines and industry security standards. Furthermore, the plaintiffs claim that the notice provided by BuzzFeed regarding the breach was insufficient, particularly because it did not explain the full scope or timing of the incident, and that the offered credit monitoring was inadequate for lifelong identity theft risks.

The lawsuits seek to represent a nationwide class of all individuals whose private information was compromised, with one plaintiff also proposing a subclass for California residents. Both plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and are seeking damages, restitution, and declaratory relief for all affected class members.