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The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against Netflix on Monday, accusing the streaming company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent and designing its platform to be addictive.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the company falsely represented to consumers that it did not collect or share user data, while it allegedly tracked and sold viewers’ habits and preferences to commercial data brokers and advertising technology companies.
The lawsuit, filed by Paxton, argues that Netflix’s business approach is aimed at keeping children and families engaged with the service, collecting data while users are watching, and then monetizing that information.
Texas also cited comments attributed to former Netflix CEO Reed Hastings from 2020, when he was still leading the company, saying “we don’t collect anything,” amid broader questions about data collection practices by large technology firms.
In addition, Texas accused Netflix of using “dark patterns” to keep users watching, including an autoplay feature that starts a new show after another show ends.
In a press release, Paxton said Netflix “has built a surveillance program designed to illegally collect and profit from Texans’ personal data without their consent,” adding that his office will work to stop it.
Paxton said he is charging Netflix under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act and is seeking:
FOX Business reported that it reached out to Netflix for comment. Reuters contributed to the report.
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