Phoebe Gates Accused of Using Illegal Cookie-Stuffing Scheme on Phia Platform

A recent report alleges that Phia, the online shopping platform founded by Phoebe Gates, employed a hidden cookie-stuffing technique to hijack affiliate payouts. The practice involves inserting invisible tracking codes into a user’s browser so the platform receives commissions on sales it did not refer. Slack chats cited in the investigation suggest Phia’s executives were aware of the illicit code for several months before it was discovered.

This mirrors a landmark 2013 case in which eBay’s top marketing partners, Shawn Hogan and Brian Dunning, were sentenced to prison after a $33 million wire-fraud scheme using identical tactics. The article also references Phoebe Gates’s background, including a Stanford seminar on power structures, and notes that federal prosecutors could pursue severe penalties if the allegations are substantiated.