Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued Netflix, claiming the streaming company spies on children and everyday viewers by taking its users’ personal details without permission. According to the legal filing, the streaming platform built its service to keep users hooked to their screens. This lawsuit highlights growing concerns over how content delivery platforms handle privacy behind the scenes.
Texas claims Netflix sells the viewing habits of users for profit
Texas sued Netflix on Monday, alleging that the company lied to users by claiming it didn’t share personal details. The lawsuit claims the tech firm tracked what people watched and sold this info to advertising companies. This practice purportedly helped the company make billions of dollars.
Paxton also mentioned that Netflix uses special tricks to keep users hooked to their screens. It utilizes the autoplay feature, which starts a new episode as soon as it delivers the last one.
Furthermore, in the legal papers, the Attorney General stated that Netflix just wants to keep children and families glued to the screen to collect and sell data. The lawsuit quoted Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings as saying in 2020, “We don’t collect anything”. The complaint added that “When you watch Netflix, Netflix watches you.”
Netflix denied the claims and is planning a defense in court
A Netflix spokesperson responded to the complaint and said the lawsuit isn’t based on accurate details. The streaming giant says it takes the privacy of user data seriously and follows all data protection rules. It plans to fight accusations in the Texas lawsuit in front of a judge soon.
It’s worth pointing out that if the state wins, the lawsuit wants Netflix to delete any user data it collected illegally. Texas also wants to fine the firm up to $10,000 for each time it broke the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
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