The top prosecutor in Florida has filed a civil lawsuit against Roku that accuses the streaming television developer of violating the state’s privacy protection laws.
This week, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accused Roku of collecting data on adult and minor users in order to grow its advertising business and fulfill other business-related goals.
The lawsuit is rooted in a law passed two years ago that gives Florida residents certain rights over the collection, processing and sharing of their user data.
Roku, like other streaming-focused businesses, analyzes how consumers use their products and apps, and then uses that data to provide targeted marketing and advertisements, among other things.
Uthmeier alleges Roku allows underage users to stream content on its platform and collects data on how children and teens are interacting with its apps and services. The prosecutor claims Roku should reasonably know that its users are children when they select kid-friendly apps and services on their streaming platform.
Roku is also accused of collecting personal data of all Florida residents — adults and children — and sharing that information with outside firms, including a data broker called Kochava, which was sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) three years ago over allegations of improperly sharing personal geolocation data with third parties for various reasons. Kochava has denied those allegations.
Uthmeier’s lawsuit in Florida seeks a court injunction to halt Roku’s alleged data practices, along with civil penalties for violating state privacy statutes.
A Roku spokesperson told reporters on Thursday that it denies the allegations, saying the company plans to challenge them in court.
The Florida case is the latest involving Roku and its data collection practices. Earlier this year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a similar lawsuit that accused Roku of improperly collecting data on underage users and sharing customer data with third parties in violation of consumer protection laws. Roku has challenged that lawsuit in federal court.
