Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into Character.AI and 14 other companies, including Reddit, Instagram, and Discord, over potential violations of children’s privacy and safety laws. The investigations focus on compliance with the SCOPE Act and Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA), which require parental consent for sharing minors’ data and mandate notice and consent requirements for children’s personal information. No fines or remedies have been imposed as the investigations are ongoing.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor agreements involving digital services, social media platforms, AI products, and any services collecting data from minors to ensure compliance with the SCOPE Act and TDPSA. Key clauses to update include those governing parental consent for collection, sharing, or sale of minors’ personal identifying information, requirements to provide parents with privacy control tools, and notice and consent provisions for processing minors’ data. Teams should also verify that vendors prohibit unauthorized sharing or disclosure of children’s data, and include audit rights to confirm adherence to Texas children’s privacy laws. Additionally, agreements with AI product vendors should specifically address compliance with minor data protection requirements under applicable state laws.
Entity
Character.AI, Reddit, Instagram, Discord, and 14 other companies
Industry
Social Media"Character.AI and fourteen other companies including Reddit, Instagram, and Discord"
"Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (“SCOPE”) Act"
"Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (“TDPSA”)"
"prohibits digital service providers from sharing, disclosing, or selling a minor’s personal identifying information without permission from the child’s parent or legal guardian"
"TDPSA imposes strict notice and consent requirements on companies that collect and use minors’ personal data"
"launched investigations into Character.AI and fourteen other companies"
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the U.S. Department of Justice secured a settlement with agricultural data broker Agri Stats, Inc. for facilitating the sharing of competitively sensitive information among meat processors, reducing competition and raising prices for chicken, pork, and turkey. Under the settlement, Agri Stats will implement industry-wide changes to its information distribution practices and make monetary payments to participating states. The settlement aims to restore competition in the agriculture industry and lower grocery prices for consumers.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated an investigation into Drone Nerds, LLC over its partnership with CCP-affiliated Anzu Robotics, which markets drones with concealed surveillance capabilities and unauthorized data collection risks. Drone Nerds is accused of deceiving Texas consumers by misrepresenting Anzu’s ties to China and falsely claiming the drones are U.S.-based with secure privacy practices. The investigation is being conducted under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, with a Civil Investigative Demand issued to gather evidence of consumer deception and privacy violations.
$7.4B
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the effective date of a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, Inc. and the Sackler family over their role in fueling the opioid crisis. Texas will receive $286.5 million from the settlement, bringing the state’s total opioid recovery funds to over $3 billion. The settlement includes permanent bans on Sackler opioid sales in the U.S., public release of 30 million company documents, and distribution of funds for addiction treatment and prevention over 15 years.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton reached an agreement with Samsung Electronics America, Inc. to stop collecting Automated Content Recognition (ACR) data from smart TVs without consumers' express consent. Samsung must update its smart TVs to provide clear and conspicuous disclosures and obtain consent before any data collection, ensuring Texans are informed and in control of their viewing data.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Shein US Services LLC for selling toxic products and exposing consumers' personal data to the Chinese Communist Party. The lawsuit seeks monetary penalties under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. This action is part of a broader effort to protect Texans from health risks and CCP influence.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against PDD Holdings, Inc. and WhaleCo Inc., doing business as Temu, for deceptive marketing and unlawful covert harvesting of Texans’ personal data that was exposed to the Chinese Communist Party. The suit alleges Temu functions as a 'trojan horse' e-commerce app that bypasses security protocols to create a backdoor into users’ private data, which is stored on servers in China. The lawsuit seeks monetary relief under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, including up to $10,000 per violation and up to $250,000 per violation targeting consumers aged 65 or older.