Texas Accuses Netflix of 'Spying' on Children and Designing 'Addictive' Features
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a strong lawsuit against Netflix on Monday, accusing the Hollywood streaming giant of 'spying' on residents of the state—including children—and collecting user data without consent. 'Netflix is not the ad-free, child-friendly platform it claims to be. On the contrary, it has deceived consumers while exploiting their private data to generate billions,' Paxton stated in a press release accompanying the lawsuit, which was filed in a state court in Collin County. A Netflix spokesperson responded, stating that the lawsuit 'lacks merit and is based on inaccurate and distorted information.' 'Netflix takes its members' privacy very seriously and complies with privacy and data protection laws everywhere it operates,' the spokesperson said. 'We look forward to the opportunity to respond in court to the Texas Attorney General's allegations and to explain in greater detail our industry-leading, child-friendly parental controls, as well as our transparent privacy practices.' The lawsuit alleges that Netflix has built a 'surveillance machine' that tracks and records viewing habits, preferences, devices, home networks, app usage, and 'other sensitive behavioral data' from users, both through adult and child profiles. The complaint notes that Netflix may have previously presented itself as a 'Big Tech alternative that is child-friendly and ad-free.' 'But behind the scenes,' it adds, 'Netflix has quietly built a behavioral surveillance program of astonishing magnitude.' Netflix, which claims to have over 325 million subscribers worldwide, offers subscription packages in the U.S. both with and without ads. The company launched its ad-supported plan in late 2022. 'The strategy of deception and changing terms that Netflix has maintained for years has led the company precisely to the place it promised never to be: generating addiction to its platform among children and families, extracting data from those users, and subsequently transforming that information into highly lucrative business intelligence for global advertising giants,' the lawsuit asserts. Additionally, Netflix 'designs its platform in a misleading way to make it addictive,' the 59-page document states, highlighting the existence of 'subtle features specifically designed to manipulate users and induce them to take actions that Netflix desires,' such as using its autoplay feature. Disney+, HBO Max, and other leading entertainment streaming services also have autoplay features.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
