Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against multiple online pornography websites for violating HB 3 by not implementing age verification to prevent minors from accessing harmful content. The companies have ignored prior warnings and are accused of unfair business practices. The suit seeks to compel compliance with state law.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to force the companies to implement age verification systems and comply with the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
In-house legal teams should review all user-facing agreements (Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policies) and partner/vendor contracts (advertising, traffic distribution, payment processing) for clauses related to age verification, minor protection, and compliance with state-specific content access laws. Specific clauses to scrutinize include: (1) age verification mechanisms and user certification requirements; (2) representations and warranties regarding compliance with HB 3 and similar statutes; (3) indemnification provisions covering violations of age-verification laws; (4) audit and inspection rights to verify age-verification systems; and (5) breach notification and cure periods related to access by minors. Agreements may need amendments to explicitly mandate robust age-verification methods (e.g., third-party verification services), require regular compliance audits, impose liability for failures, and mandate cooperation with state enforcement actions. Vendor contracts should also include flow-down obligations to ensure subcontracts adhere to the same standards.
Entity
Webgroup Czech Republic, NKL Associates, Sonesta Technologies, Inc., GGW Group, Traffic F
Also known as: WebGroup Czech Republic
Industry
Media & EntertainmentFlorida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a civil investigation into Discord and issued a subpoena demanding documents related to its marketing to children, age-verification processes, content moderation, parental controls, and reporting of child exploitative activity. The investigation alleges potential violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, citing the platform’s widespread use by child predators to target minors. Discord must produce records on its child safety practices, minor user data, and complaint handling related to child exploitation.
The Florida Attorney General's Office launched the CHINA Prevention Unit and issued a subpoena to Shein for deceptive trade practices and data privacy violations. The unit focuses on combating threats from foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party to consumer data and economic security. This action is part of broader efforts to audit and hold accountable companies with ties to China.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against Roblox, alleging that the company misrepresented the safety of its platform to parents and failed to protect children from accessing adult content and being contacted by predators. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief and other remedies to ensure child safety on the platform.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an investigative subpoena to TP-Link Systems Inc. as part of a consumer protection investigation into the company’s cybersecurity practices, supply-chain infrastructure, and handling of U.S. consumer data, including allegations of unauthorized data sharing with the Chinese Communist Party. The probe will determine if TP-Link misled customers about foreign government access to their personal data, which would violate the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, with no findings of wrongdoing yet.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a civil enforcement action against Roku, Inc. for violating the Florida Digital Bill of Rights (FDBOR) and Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA). The complaint alleges Roku collected, sold, and enabled reidentification of children’s sensitive personal data, including viewing habits and voice recordings, without parental consent or meaningful notice to consumers. The state seeks civil penalties, injunctive relief, and requirements for Roku to implement transparent disclosures, lawful parental controls, and cease unauthorized processing of children’s data.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed complaints against multiple pornography websites for violating Florida's age-verification law by not verifying users' ages, allowing children access to harmful material. The law requires such sites to implement age verification, and violations can result in fines up to $50,000 per violation. The complaints seek injunctions, civil penalties, and compliance with the law.