Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a broad 66-page lawsuit against Netflix on Wednesday, alleging that the streaming giant misled families about its privacy practices and promised users they could avoid surveillance by paying for a subscription, according to NBC News.
A spokesperson on Thursday said the company “takes our members’ privacy seriously”.
He reportedly claimed that the streaming platform has misled users over how it collects their data and exposed children to potentially “addictive” features.
“Netflix told Florida families they could pay a monthly fee to escape Big Tech surveillance. That was false,” Uthmeier said in a statement alongside the filing.
Uthmeier further alleged that Netflix gathered extensive information about children and families, used design features intended to encourage children to keep watching, and later monetised the through an advertising business that the company had previously pledged not to establish.
“Netflix collected detailed data on children and families, designed its product to keep kids watching, and then commercialized that information to launch the advertising business it promised never to build,” he added in part.
Florida authorities have accused Netflix of carrying out what they described as a “years-long bait-and-switch.” According to Uthmeier’s office, the streaming company spent years promoting its subscription plans as an ad-free option that protected users from the data-focused business practices of major technology firms such as Google and Facebook. The company also assured parents that its children’s profiles were “safe”, it said.
State officials, however, allege that Netflix was simultaneously developing technology to monitor how people used its platform, including the content they watched, clicked on, paused, replayed or skipped. The lawsuit further claims that Netflix relied on its “addictive” autoplay function to encourage both children and adults to continue watching while collecting “billions” of data points about their viewing behaviour.
“Netflix’s years-long bait-and-switch has led the company right to where it promised never to be: addicting children and families to its platform, mining those users for data, and then converting that data into lucrative intelligence for global advertising juggernauts. This is deceptive conduct that violates Florida law,” Florida’s complaint said.
Netflix responds
Netflix dismissed the allegations, saying that it would defend its position before the court.
“We comply with and data‑protection laws everywhere we operate and have dedicated safeguards in place for kids who watch content on Netflix. This lawsuit lacks merit and we intend to vigorously defend the matter in court,” NBC News quoted the spokesperson as saying.
Florida’s case against OpenAI, TikTok
Meanwhile, the case adds to Florida’s growing legal push against major technology companies. Uthmeier’s office filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in June, alleging that the artificial intelligence firm prioritised profits over safety. The state also took legal action against TikTok that month, accusing the social media platform of violating Florida’s child-safety laws.