Texas sues Netflix, alleging bait-and-switch ads and spying
▼ Summary
– Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Netflix, accusing it of breaking promises to remain ad-free and safe for kids.
– The lawsuit claims Netflix promoted itself as an “escape from Big Tech surveillance” while secretly building a behavior-surveillance program.
– Paxton alleges Netflix uses addictive features like autoplay to keep children and families glued to screens and harvest their data for profit.
– Netflix is accused of violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by illegally collecting and profiting from Texans’ personal data without consent.
– Paxton asks the court to block Netflix’s data collection and require disabling autoplay by default on kids’ profiles.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken legal action against Netflix, alleging the streaming giant misled subscribers about its ad-free promise and compromised children’s privacy. The lawsuit, filed Monday, claims Netflix abandoned its earlier stance against Big Tech surveillance and instead exposed Texans’ personal data to the same advertising ecosystem it once publicly criticized.
According to Paxton, Netflix attracted subscribers by positioning itself as an ad-free sanctuary free from the prying eyes of major tech companies. But behind the scenes, the state alleges, Netflix secretly built a behavioral surveillance program that uses addictive design features such as autoplay to keep viewers engaged. When an episode ends, the next one starts automatically, a tactic Paxton argues is intended to maximize screen time and data collection.
“Netflix’s endgame is simple and lucrative: get children and families glued to the screen, harvest their data while they are stuck there, and then monetize the data for a handsome profit,” the lawsuit states. It points to Netflix’s revenue growth, which surged from $15 billion in 2018 to an estimated $50 billion in 2026, as evidence of the company’s financial incentive.
“Netflix has built a surveillance program designed to illegally collect and profit from Texans’ personal data without their consent, and my office will do everything in our power to stop it,” Paxton said in a press release. “Netflix is not the ad-free and kid-friendly platform it claims to be. Instead, it has misled consumers while exploiting their private data to make billions.”
The lawsuit accuses Netflix of violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Paxton is asking the court to block the company’s alleged unlawful collection and disclosure of user data and to require that autoplay be disabled by default on children’s profiles. The case remains ongoing.
(Source: The Verge)
