Texas attorney general sues Netflix for ‘spying’

AUSTIN (KVIA) -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he sued Netflix for "spying" and collecting Texans' data without their consent.

In a news release, Attorney General Paxton alleged the streaming platform uses engineering to track and log customers' viewing habits, devices, household networks and other sensitive data. He said the tracking also applies to kids' profiles.

Paxton said he wants to hold Netflix accountable under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. His lawsuit wants to stop the collection and disclosure of user data and disable autoplay on kids' profiles.

He said the autoplay function creates a "continuous stream of content intended to keep users, including children, watching for extended periods of time." He added, features like autoplay make the platform addictive.

"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," Paxton said. "I will continue to work to protect Texas families from deceptive practices by Big Tech companies and ensure that corporations are held accountable under Texas law."