Florida AG Sues Netflix for Data Tracking, Targeting Kids

The Florida Attorney General has initiated legal action against streaming giant Netflix, alleging the company violated state laws by misleading consumers about its data collection practices and targeting young audiences. According to the suit, Netflix falsely claimed it would not track user data or sell it to advertisers, while simultaneously accumulating years of consumer data and deploying the information for advertising purposes in November 2022.

Attorney General James Uthmeier expressed concern over Netflix's alleged targeting of children, stating, "It's parents who should oversee the privacy of their kids, not a big tech company that's profiting despite public safety."

Netflix, however, dismissed the lawsuit as having no merit and vowed to contest it in court. The company emphasized its commitment to protecting subscriber privacy and maintaining stringent safeguards for children using its platform. In a statement to TheWrap, Netflix declared: "We take our members' privacy seriously. We comply with privacy and data-protection laws everywhere we operate and have dedicated safeguards in place for kids who watch content on Netflix."

The Florida lawsuit is not the only one targeting Netflix's practices. In February, the popular video game Roblox faced a similar legal challenge from the People of California, who accused the platform of creating an unsafe environment for children and facilitating the exploitation of minors. Roblox, which reported 151 million daily active users in its third quarter and nearly 400 million active monthly users, with around 40% under the age of 13, faced accusations that its platform's design choices and monetization practices contradicted its claims of prioritizing child safety.