Florida sues Roku for allegedly selling children’s data without consent

Roku child privacy lawsuit overview:

• Who: The state of Florida is suing Roku, Inc. and Florida Roku, Inc.
• Why: Florida claims Roku violated the state’s Digital Bill of Rights by selling children’s personal information without parental consent.
• Where: The data privacy lawsuit was filed in Florida but affects data collected from across the United States.

Florida has taken legal action against home streaming service Roku, accusing the company of unlawfully collecting and selling the personal data of children. 

The lawsuit, filed by Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier, claims that Roku violated both the Florida Digital Bill of Rights and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by failing to obtain parental consent before collecting and selling sensitive information.

The lawsuit was filed on Oct. 14 in Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit in Collier County. It targets Roku and its Florida subsidiary, accusing them of selling children’s data collected from every county in Florida and nationwide. 

The state is seeking civil penalties and an injunction to halt these practices. The penalties could reach up to $150,000 per violation under the Florida Digital Bill of Rights and $10,000 per violation under the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

“Florida families deserve to know what is happening with their children’s personal information,” Attorney General Uthmeier said in a media report. “Parents – not technology companies – direct the upbringing of their children. We will hold any company that conceals or exploits that information accountable”.

Florida scrutinizes Roku’s alleged data practices

The lawsuit accuses Roku of ignoring signs that children are using its platform and failing to implement adequate privacy controls. 

It claims Roku has been collecting and selling data such as children’s locations, viewing habits, and voice recordings without parental consent. The company is also accused of using third-party data brokers to circumvent compliance with Florida law. 

The Florida Digital Bill of Rights, signed into law in 2023, aims to protect consumer data by granting rights to access, delete, and opt out of personal data processing. It also imposes strict penalties for violations involving minors.

Roku has not yet commented on the lawsuit, but media reports estimate that the company’s devices and services reach an estimated 145 million people in the U.S., with millions of users in Florida, including likely more than one million child users.

Florida’s Office of Parental Rights, established to protect family rights, is actively involved in the case, advocating for stronger data protection measures and highlighting the importance of data privacy in the context of the Roku lawsuit.

For more information on the lawsuit, consumers can contact Florida’s Attorney General’s office or visit the state’s official website for updates.

Just recently, Google and YouTube agreed to a $30 million settlement to resolve a long-running class action alleging they unlawfully collected data from children under 13 to serve targeted ads without parental consent. 

Also in the news, TikTok and its parent company ByteDance are facing a class action lawsuit alleging they targeted millions of children under the age of 13 and violated their privacy.

Are you affected by the Florida lawsuit against Roku? Let us know in the comments.

The Roku child privacy lawsuit is Office of the Attorney General, State of Florida v. Roku, Inc., and Florida Roku Inc., Case No. 233525993, in the Circuit Court of the Twentieth Judicial District in and for Collier County, Florida

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Ford recalls 1.4M vehicles due to rearview camera issues for Ford Explorer, Mustang and other models
• Neutrogena recalls makeup wipes over bacterial contamination concerns
• Huel faces class action alleging dangerous heavy metals in its Black Edition powder
• PFAS contamination lawsuit hits Florida college, 3M and Multiple Chemical Manufacturers