An article summarized by Variety:
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming giant of illegally collecting user data without proper consent and violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit claims Netflix has been “spying” on Texans, including children, while secretly building extensive data-tracking systems despite previously presenting itself as an alternative to ad-driven tech companies.
The lawsuit also alleges that Netflix intentionally designed parts of its platform to be addictive, particularly through autoplay features that encourage users, including kids, to keep watching for long periods of time. Texas argues that Netflix misled customers for years by publicly distancing itself from advertising and data collection before eventually launching an ad-supported subscription tier in 2022. State officials claim the company now shares user information with advertisers, data brokers like Experian and Acxiom, and major ad-tech platforms including Google and The Trade Desk.
Texas is seeking court orders to stop Netflix’s alleged unlawful data collection practices, disable autoplay by default on children’s profiles, and impose civil penalties. The lawsuit further claims Netflix processes massive amounts of user behavior data daily through a sophisticated internal tracking system. Netflix has not yet publicly responded to the allegations, while the case arrives as Paxton is also campaigning in a high-profile Republican Senate primary race in Texas.
