Court Rules

Privacy Enforcement Tracker

1,285 enforcement actions from 14 federal and state jurisdictions. Every event traced back to its official government source.

1,285

Total Actions

14

Jurisdictions

$35.3B+

Total Fines Tracked

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TXSettlement

Samsung Electronics America, Inc.(Samsung)

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.

LowConsent FailureNotice Failure
TXEnforcement Action

PDD Holdings, Inc. and WhaleCo Inc. d/b/a Temu

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.

LowConsent FailureUnauthorized Data SharingSecurity Failure
TXEnforcement Action

Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, TCL Technology Group(Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, TCL)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL Technology Group for using Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology to collect Texans' viewing data without proper consent. A temporary restraining order was secured against Hisense to halt all data collection and sharing. The AG issued a consumer alert with instructions to disable ACR on smart TVs.

LowConsent FailureNotice FailureUnauthorized Data Sharing
TXEnforcement Action

Hisense

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton obtained a temporary restraining order against Hisense, a Chinese smart TV manufacturer, to halt its collection of Texans' personal data through Automated Content Recognition technology without consent. The technology captures every sound and image on the TVs every 500 milliseconds and sells the data, with access granted to the Chinese Communist Party. The TRO prohibits Hisense from collecting, using, selling, sharing, disclosing, or transferring ACR data about Texans while the case continues.

LowConsent FailureUnauthorized Data Sharing
TXEnforcement Action

Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, TCL Technology Group Corporation(Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, TCL)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against five major TV manufacturers—Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL—for illegally collecting consumers' viewing data through Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology without knowledge or consent. The companies capture screenshots and monitor TV usage in real-time, then sell the data for targeted advertising, risking sensitive information. The suit seeks to halt these invasive practices and protect Texans' privacy.

LowConsent FailureNotice FailureUnauthorized Data Sharing
TXEnforcement Action

Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL Technology Group Corporation(Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, TCL)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed lawsuits against five major TV manufacturers—Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL—for unlawfully collecting Texans' viewing data using Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology without their knowledge or consent. The ACR software captures screenshots of TV displays every 500 milliseconds and transmits the data to the companies, which then sell it for targeted advertising. The AG's office alleges these practices violate Texas privacy laws and seeks to enjoin the companies from continuing the surveillance.

LowNotice FailureConsent FailureUnauthorized Data Sharing
TXInvestigation

Meta Platforms, Inc. and Character Technologies, Inc.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into Meta and Character.AI via Civil Investigative Demands, alleging deceptive trade practices including misrepresenting AI chatbots as confidential mental health tools while harvesting user data for targeted advertising. The probe assesses potential violations of Texas consumer protection laws and the SCOPE Act, particularly regarding privacy misrepresentations, concealment of data usage, and harms to children. This builds on prior investigations into Character.AI for SCOPE Act compliance.

LowChildren's DataNotice FailureConsent Failure
TXEnforcement Action

23andMe

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in the 23andMe bankruptcy case to prevent the sale of Texans' genetic data without proper consent. The action seeks to confirm Texans' property rights over their genetic information under the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act and the Texas Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Act. The AG argues that 23andMe's proposed asset sale would violate Texas law requiring separate express consent for disclosure of genetic information.

LowConsent FailureUnauthorized Data SharingBiometric Data
TXEnforcement Action

Allstate and Arity(Allstate)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Allstate and its subsidiary Arity for unlawfully collecting, using, and selling driving data from over 45 million consumers without consent. The data, which includes precise geolocation information, was used to justify insurance premium increases. This action alleges violations of the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA).

LowNotice FailureConsent FailureUnauthorized Data Sharing
TXInvestigation

Character.AI, Reddit, Instagram, Discord, and 14 other companies

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.

LowChildren's DataConsent FailureNotice Failure
TXInvestigation

Character.AI, Reddit, Instagram, Discord, and 11 other companies(Character.AI)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced investigations into 15 companies, including Character.AI, Reddit, Instagram, and Discord, for potential violations of the SCOPE Act and TDPSA concerning children's privacy. The investigations target practices such as unauthorized sharing of minors' personal data and failure to provide parental controls. This action is part of Texas's broader initiative to enforce data privacy laws.

LowChildren's DataConsent FailureNotice Failure
TXEnforcement Action

TikTok

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against TikTok for violating the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act by sharing minors’ personal identifying information without parental consent and failing to provide parents with tools to manage their children’s account privacy settings. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and injunctive relief to prevent future violations. TikTok is accused of prioritizing profit over the online safety and privacy of Texas children.

LowChildren's DataConsent FailureUnauthorized Data Sharing
TXEnforcement Action

General Motors

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against General Motors for unlawfully collecting private driving data from over 1.5 million Texas drivers without consent and selling the data to third parties including insurance companies. GM allegedly deceived customers into enrolling in products like OnStar Smart Driver by falsely claiming enrollment was required to retain vehicle safety features, while concealing that enrollment authorized systematic collection and sale of detailed driving data. The action follows an investigation launched in June 2024 as part of the Texas AG’s data privacy initiative, and seeks to hold GM accountable for violating state privacy laws.

LowConsent FailureNotice FailureUnauthorized Data Sharing
TXInvestigation

Multiple car manufacturers(Car Manufacturers)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into multiple car manufacturers for collecting and selling driver data to third parties, including insurance companies, without consumers' knowledge or consent. The investigation, conducted under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices – Consumer Protection Act, seeks documents about data collection practices and disclosures made to customers. The AG's office is concerned about invasive data collection and potential deceptive practices.

LowUnauthorized Data SharingGeolocation DataNotice Failure
TXInvestigation

Several Car Manufacturers

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated an investigation into multiple car manufacturers for allegedly collecting drivers' data without consent and selling it to third parties, including insurance providers. The investigation, authorized under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices – Consumer Protection Act, requires manufacturers and data purchasers to produce documents related to their data practices and customer disclosures. The AG highlighted concerns about invasive, non-consensual data collection and sale occurring without consumer knowledge.

LowConsent FailureUnauthorized Data SharingNotice Failure

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