Phoebe Gates Under Fire: The Cookie Stuffing Allegations Shaking Up Tech

Phoebe Gates , the youngest child of billionaire Bill Gates, could be taken to court if the allegations made against her AI shopping assistant are proved to be true. The 23-year-old is under the spotlight after allegations have been made that her AI shopping assistant, Phia, has been engaged in 'cookie stuffing'. An expert has now delved into what this may mean if the allegations are proven to be true.

'Cookie stuffing' is an illegal practice where unrelated tracking cookies are inserted into a user's browser by an affiliate marketer, without their consent. According to Branch , this happens after a user views a page or clicks on a single link. Essentially, secretly planting cookies is a method of getting credit for somebody else's online sale, and now Phoebe and her friend Sophia Kianni could be found guilty of doing so.

Phoebe Gates could find herself in a spot of legal trouble. Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Report claims Phia is guilty Phia, founded by Phoebe and Sophia, compares fashion and retail prices across websites, and searches for discount codes and second-hand alternatives. But just last month, Bloomberg released a report claiming that the AI company received attribution for purchases it had not driven, and alleged that it was involved in cookie stuffing.