Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a lawsuit against Roku alleging that the streaming platform collects children’s data without obtaining parental consent.
Here’s everything to know about the lawsuit Nessel filed:
Why is Nessel suing Roku?
Nessel filed the suit against Roku on Tuesday, April 29. Roku is a company that produces devices and TVs that allow people to access streaming services. It also offers “The Roku Channel,” which allows people to stream a variety of TV shows, movies and Roku original creations for free. Nearly half of American households, including millions of Michigan residents, use Roku platforms.
Nessel claims that Roku is collecting this data and allowing third parties to collect the data without giving any notice, violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. COPPA is a federal law that requires online services and websites to get parental consent before collecting or using data from any child under 13.
The lawsuit alleges that Roku collects, processes and discloses personal data from children, including:
- Their locations
- Voice recordings
- IP addresses
- Identifiers that track children’s browsing histories on Roku and the internet
Roku also allegedly doesn’t give parents the option to create children’s profiles, meaning children and adults are subject to the same data collection methods.
“Roku has blatantly violated children’s privacy laws, illegally exposing kids across Michigan to invasive data collection practices,” Nessel said. “We cannot allow companies to jeopardize the security of our children’s personal information. My office remains committed to holding accountable companies that violate the rights of Michigan families and seek to profit at the expense of children’s safety and privacy.”
The attorney general also claims that Roku partners with third-party channels and web trackers to collect children’s data for advertising purposes.
A complaint from a parent over ad-related content was included in the suit.
“In June 2022, a user complained that an age-inappropriate ad appeared on the Roku ‘homescreen when my kids were trying to watch cartoons’ and that the ad was ‘like softcore [pornography],’ according to the lawsuit. “This parent added that they had seen users ‘complaining about Roku showing inappropriate content to minors via the ‘ads’ for years,’ and that while Roku’s ‘argument may be that they don’t know it’s little children watching, I don’t believe that.’ A Roku employee responded, stating, ‘We’ll be forwarding your comments to our advertising department for review.’”
To view the lawsuit, visit here.
What is Nessel seeking from lawsuit against Roku?
Nessel said she filed this lawsuit to:
- Stop Roku from illegally collecting children’s data and not following COPPA’s disclosure requirements.
- Require Roku to comply with federal and state law.
- Recover damages, restitution, and civil penalties for the company’s misconduct.
Roku responds to lawsuit
The company responded to Nessel’s suit with the following statement:
“Roku strongly disagrees with the allegations in today’s filing, which do not reflect how our services work or our efforts to protect viewer privacy. We plan to challenge these inaccurate claims and look forward to demonstrating our commitment to trust and compliance.
Roku respects and values the privacy of our users. We do not use or disclose children’s personal information for targeted advertising or any other purpose prohibited by law, nor do we partner with third-party web trackers or data brokers to sell children’s personal information.
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.”
Statement from Roku Spokesperson