Florida Attorney General sues Roku over alleged sale of children’s data

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a civil enforcement action against Roku, the smart TV company, accusing it of collecting and selling children’s personal data without proper consent in violation of state privacy and consumer protection laws.

The lawsuit, filed in Collier County Circuit Court, claims Roku gathered sensitive information such as viewing habits, voice recordings, online behaviors, and even location data from child users. Uthmeier’s Office of Parental Rights, established in April to strengthen oversight of technology practices affecting minors, announced the action this week, citing violations of the Florida Digital Bill of Rights and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

“We believe that Roku has taken, used, shared, and sold the personal, sensitive data of our consumers, namely, our kids,” Uthmeier said in a statement posted to social media. “This is wrong and it violates Florida’s commitment to parental rights.”

According to the complaint, Roku failed to obtain verifiable parental consent or provide meaningful notice about how children’s data was being collected and shared. The filing also alleges that Roku “consciously decided” not to implement standard user profiles that could help distinguish between child and adult users, allowing the company to continue processing and monetizing children’s data.

The attorney general is seeking civil penalties, injunctions, and requirements that Roku introduce clearer privacy disclosures and lawful parental-control mechanisms. The complaint further alleges that Roku partnered with third-party data brokers, including Kochava, a company previously criticized for privacy violations, to avoid compliance with Florida’s data protection statutes.

Uthmeier’s office said the lawsuit is part of a broader effort to hold technology companies accountable for how they handle minors’ information under the state’s 2023 Digital Bill of Rights, which was enacted to protect children and other vulnerable users from invasive data practices.

Roku, which markets its streaming devices to “millions of consumers” and was identified in a 2022 report as the leading TV streaming platform in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by hours streamed, has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.