Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against streaming giant Roku, accusing the company of violating the state’s 2023 Digital Bill of Rights. The complaint, lodged in Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit in Collier County, alleges that Roku unlawfully processes sensitive data from children, teens, and adults without proper consent according to a report from MediaPost. With Roku devices present in nearly half of U.S. households and generating billions in revenue through targeted advertising, the lawsuit claims the company’s data practices exploit users by collecting and sharing personal information without authorization. This comes as Michigan sued Roku back in April over similar concerns.
“Roku strongly disagrees with these allegations, which do not reflect our efforts to protect viewer privacy. We plan to challenge these inaccurate claims.” A Roku spokesperson told Cord Cutters News. “We take the responsibility of creating a safe and trusted online environment seriously. Our viewers rely on Roku for engaging content, and we take pride in connecting our viewers to the streaming content they love every day.”
The core of Uthmeier’s complaint centers on Roku’s alleged mishandling of children’s data. Florida’s Digital Bill of Rights mandates that companies with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion, like Roku, must obtain parental consent before processing data from children under 13 and affirmative consent from teens aged 13 to 18. The lawsuit asserts that Roku knowingly collects data from users it identifies as minors, such as those who install kids’ screensavers or access the “Kids and Family” section of its platform. Despite this, Roku has allegedly failed to implement industry-standard user profiles to distinguish child users, allowing their data to be processed and sold without proper safeguards.
Beyond children’s data, the complaint accuses Roku of violating the privacy law by collecting and processing precise geolocation data from all users without explicit consent. This practice, according to the attorney general, disregards the state’s requirement for businesses to secure permission before handling sensitive information. The lawsuit further alleges that Roku shares user data with third-party data brokers, including Kochava, a company previously sued by the Federal Trade Commission in 2022 for selling geolocation data that could reveal visits to sensitive locations like medical facilities or places of worship.
Uthmeier’s filing also highlights Roku’s practice of selling data to third parties, who then reidentify it to create detailed profiles of Roku users. This process, the complaint argues, enables targeted advertising while shielding Roku from direct accountability. The attorney general contends that these actions not only breach Florida’s privacy law but also undermine consumer trust in the platform.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to halt Roku’s alleged violations and impose monetary penalties. This legal action follows a similar lawsuit filed earlier this year by Michigan’s attorney general, which accused Roku of collecting data from children under 13 and disclosing users’ video-viewing histories. That case remains pending in federal court.
Roku’s data practices, as outlined in its privacy policy, form the basis for some of Uthmeier’s allegations. The company’s widespread reach and reliance on data-driven advertising have placed it under scrutiny as states increasingly prioritize consumer privacy protections. Florida’s Digital Bill of Rights, designed to safeguard sensitive information, is one of the latest tools wielded by regulators to hold tech giants accountable.
As the lawsuit progresses, it could set a precedent for how streaming platforms handle user data, particularly for minors. For now, Uthmeier’s aggressive stance signals Florida’s commitment to enforcing its privacy laws and challenging companies that profit from unauthorized data collection. The outcome of this case may reshape the balance between digital innovation and consumer privacy rights in the streaming industry.
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We updated the story with a statement from Roku.