Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a consumer alert warning Texas businesses and nonprofits about a surge of demand letters alleging California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) violations based on common website technologies such as cookies, pixels, and analytics tools. The AG cautions that some letters may exaggerate or misrepresent violations and may be fraudulent, noting serial CIPA plaintiff Vivek Shah has been declared a vexatious litigant. Recipients are advised not to pay or respond directly, to consult privacy counsel, and to report suspected fraud to the Consumer Protection Division.
None. This is a consumer alert, not an enforcement action; no penalties or remedies were imposed. The AG recommends consulting counsel experienced in privacy and website-tracking litigation, reviewing the organization's use of pixels, cookies, and analytics tools, monitoring evolving privacy laws, and reporting suspected fraudulent demand letters to the Consumer Protection Division.
Although this is a consumer alert rather than an enforcement action against a company, it signals active CIPA 'wiretapping' litigation risk arising from everyday website technologies. In-house teams should review vendor and SaaS agreements with analytics, advertising, session-replay, chatbot, and tag-management providers to confirm data processing terms restrict collection and onward sharing of website visitor communications, and should negotiate or verify CIPA-specific indemnification and defense provisions for claims arising from pixels, cookies, and similar tools. Privacy policies and website terms of service should accurately disclose tracking technologies, and any consent or opt-out mechanisms should be documented, since demand letters often include screenshots of the recipient's website. Procurement and marketing contracts should require vendors to flow down compliance with California privacy law, and legal playbooks should include a protocol requiring privacy counsel review of any demand letter before payment or response, given the AG's warning that some letters may be fraudulent or abusive.
Entity
N/A (consumer alert; no enforcement target)
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/consumer-alert-attorney-general-ken-paxton-warns-texans-scam-demand-letters-alleging-website-privacy
Demand Letter
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Demand%20Letter.pdf
Texas Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/privacy
"September 17, 2026 | Press Release"
"Attorney General Ken Paxton is advising businesses and nonprofit organizations to be aware of a recent surge in demand letters alleging website privacy violations under California law"
"These demand letters allege violations of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”) based on the use of common website technologies such as cookies, pixels, analytics tools, and search bars."
"Senders may claim that these tools constitute unlawful “wiretapping” under California law and demand immediate payment to avoid litigation."
"one serial CIPA plaintiff, Vivek Shah, who is known to have sent demand"
"has been declared a vexatious litigant and is barred from filing any new action asserting CIPA or related digital privacy claims in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California"
A Texas state district court (Judge Cory Liu) has found TikTok liable for lying to parents about the safety of its platform and for exposing children to inappropriate and explicit content, making Texas the first state in the nation to hold TikTok liable on these claims. The court found that although TikTok claimed it would remove graphic videos depicting drugs, nudity, alcohol, injuries, and profanity, such videos remained accessible to minors, even under 'Restricted Mode.' No penalty has been imposed yet; Attorney General Paxton will proceed to trial, expected next month, where relief and penalties will be determined.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp., the U.S. government contractor that administers the VA Community Care Network and the Defense Health Agency's TRICARE West Region, over reports that it wrongfully denied health care claims by falsely treating insureds as having other health insurance (OHI). The OAG has issued Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) and plans to interview consumers and employees to determine whether TriWest violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. No findings or penalties have been imposed yet.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Amazon.com, Inc. on August 31, 2026, alleging Amazon deceived advertisers by claiming to run second-price auctions while secretly applying hidden surcharges and undisclosed 'soft reserve' prices that pushed winners' costs up by roughly 17% on ordinary days and more than 25% during peak events like Prime Day. The hidden surcharges generated roughly $4.5 billion in additional nationwide revenue in 2024, and more than 18,000 Texas sellers and vendors advertise on the platform. The State brings claims under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, seeking civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, an injunction against inaccurate auction descriptions, and per-auction pricing records for every Texas advertiser; the FTC and a coalition of other states filed a parallel federal action the same day.
$1.0B
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a historic settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. requiring Meta to pay over $1 billion and implement significant new safeguards to protect children online. The settlement includes stricter age-assurance measures, a daily two-hour limit for teen users, default disabling of notifications during school hours, hidden likes/reactions, and a nighttime access mode restricting features for children.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an industry-wide investigation into companies marketing avocado oil products that may contain undisclosed seed oils. Civil Investigative Demands were issued to Primal Kitchen, Siete Foods, and Chosen Foods, with more companies expected to be investigated for potential violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Attorney General Ken Paxton secured settlements with WK Kellogg Co. and General Mills Inc. requiring the removal of synthetic dyes from cereals served in schools. The companies have already removed these dyes from K-12 cereals, with full removal from all products by the end of 2027.