The state of Florida has launched a lawsuit against Roku, alleging the company sold children’s data to third parties without parental approval. According to Attorney General James Uthmeier, Roku collected sensitive information such as viewing habits, voice recordings, and geolocation from child users. The allegations highlight Roku’s failure to obtain necessary parental consent and misrepresentation of its privacy controls, violating the Florida Digital Bill of Rights. Additional claims include Roku’s negligence in implementing user profiles to protect minors, despite being aware some users are children.
The complaint details that Roku sold deidentified data to brokers like Kochava, despite the risks of reidentification of users through linked information. The lawsuit carries significant penalties for violating the rights of minors, amounting to up to $50,000 per violation, potentially tripling for willful disregard of a child’s age. This legal challenge follows another lawsuit from Michigan, compounding Roku’s legal issues related to child data privacy. As smart TV advertising grows, Roku continues to face scrutiny regarding its data practices as it invests heavily in its platform operations, despite reported losses in device sales.
👉 Pročitaj original: Malware Bytes
