Florida Attorney General James Utmyer filed a sweeping 66-page lawsuit against Netflix on Wednesday, alleging the streaming giant misled families about its privacy practices and promised users they could avoid surveillance by paying for a subscription, according to a report NBC News.
A Netflix spokesperson said Thursday that the company “takes the privacy of our members seriously.”
He reportedly said the streaming platform misled users about how it collected their data and exposed children to potentially “exciting” features.
“Netflix told Florida families they could pay a monthly fee to avoid surveillance by big tech companies. That was a lie,” Utmyer said in a statement included with the lawsuit.
Utmyer also alleged that Netflix collected extensive information about children and families, used design elements intended to entice children to continue watching, and then monetized the data through an advertising business that the company had previously pledged not to create.
“Netflix collected detailed data on children and families, designed its product to get kids to watch, and then commercialized that information to launch an advertising business it promised never to build,” he added, in part.
Florida authorities accused Netflix of what they called “years of bait and switch.” The streaming company has spent years promoting its subscription plans as an ad-free option that protects users from the data-driven business practices of big tech companies like Google and Facebook, according to Utmyer’s office. The company also assured parents that its children’s profiles were “safe.”
However, government officials say Netflix was simultaneously developing technology to monitor how people use its platform, including the content they watch, click, pause, play or skip. The lawsuit further alleges that Netflix used its “addictive” autoplay feature to entice children and adults to continue watching while collecting “billions” of data about their viewing behavior.
“Netflix’s decades-long practice has taken the company where it promised it would never go: addicting children and families to its platform, mining those users’ data, and then turning that data into profitable information for global advertising giants. This is deceptive conduct that violates Florida law,” Florida’s complaint states.
Netflix responds
Netflix has denied the allegations, saying it will defend its position in court.
“We comply with privacy and data protection laws everywhere we operate and provide special protections for children who watch content on Netflix. This lawsuit is without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend this matter in court.” NBC News quotes the words of the interlocutor.
Florida v. OpenAI, TikTok
Meanwhile, the case increases legal pressure in Florida against big tech companies. In June, Utmaier’s office filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the artificial intelligence company was putting profit before safety. That same month, the state also filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the social media platform of violating Florida’s child safety laws.