Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he filed a lawsuit this week against Netflix for spying on Texans, including minors, and for collecting data without their consent.
“For years, Netflix represented to consumers that it did not collect or share extensive user data. In reality, Netflix is a logging company that records and monetizes billions of behavioral events — and occasionally streams movies,” a press release from Paxton’s office read.
“Netflix uses intentional engineering to track and log users’ viewing habits, preferences, devices, household networks, application usage, and other sensitive behavioral data. Every interaction on the platform became a data point revealing information about the user. This tracking applied to not only adults’ accounts, but also kids’ profiles.”
The release went on to state that, “Netflix has built a surveillance program designed to illegally collect and profit from Texans’ personal data without their consent, and my office will do everything in our power to stop it.”
The lawsuit alleged Netflix disseminated the information “to commercial data brokers like Experian and Acxiom — entities entirely unrelated to streaming entertainment.”
“Netflix has also partnered with dominant ad‑tech platforms, including Google Display & Video 360 and The Trade Desk, to further enable Netflix user data to be merged with information collected off the platform,” the filing read.
The lawsuit accused the platform of earning “billions of dollars every year by quietly deploying the exact playbook it publicly eschewed to lure consumers in the first place.”
It argued that the “bait-and-switch” strategy has resulted in children and families becoming addicted so the company can mine their personal data and sell “lucrative intelligence for global advertising juggernauts.”
“Simply put, this is deceptive conduct that violates Texas law,” the lawsuit concluded.
In addition, Paxton took aim at the streaming giant’s auto-play function, which encourages viewers, specifically children, to watch for longer periods of time.
A Netflix representative issued a statement to NBC News saying the lawsuit “lacks merit and is based on inaccurate and distorted information.”
“Netflix takes our members’ privacy seriously and complies with privacy and data‑protection laws everywhere we operate,” the representative explained.
“We look forward to addressing the Texas Attorney General’s allegations in court and further explaining our industry-leading, kid‑friendly parental controls and transparent privacy practices.”
This news comes as other Big Tech companies like Instagram and Meta have been heavily criticized for their data-mining practices, privacy violations, and addictive nature.
Back in March, The New York Times reported that a California jury found YouTube and Meta negligent of using certain design features that promoted addiction among minors.
🚨Big Tech loses addiction trial:
A jury just found Meta and Google (YouTube) liable in a landmark social media addiction trial, awarding $3 million in damages to the young plaintiff.pic.twitter.com/WJj7vd9xFg
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 25, 2026
Meta had to pay $4.2 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages, while YouTube had to pay $1.8 million.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly testified during the trial and said the platform was not linked to any of the plaintiff’s mental health issues.
This verdict came shortly after a New Mexico jury decided that Meta should pay $375 million in a case brought by the state’s attorney general, accusing the company of violating state law by failing to protect users from child predators.
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