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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier files lawsuit against Netflix over data collection and addictive design features

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against Netflix on Wednesday, accusing the streaming service of misleading consumers regarding its data collection practices. The state alleges that Netflix marketed itself as an ad-free alternative to major technology platforms while simultaneously collecting detailed data on children and families. Uthmeier claims the company performed a "years-long bait-and-switch" by promising to avoid the data-driven models of companies like Google and Facebook, yet eventually launched an advertising business in November 2022. The lawsuit asserts that Netflix used an "addictive" autoplay feature to keep users watching while logging billions of behavioral data points. In response, a Netflix spokesperson stated that the company takes member privacy seriously and complies with privacy laws globally. The spokesperson noted that the lawsuit lacks merit and the company intends to defend it in court. Florida is seeking billions of damages and a court ruling to purge all data deceptively collected from residents.

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