Overview
- The attorney general filed separate state-court suits accusing the five manufacturers of using Automated Content Recognition to capture screenshots as often as every 500 milliseconds and transmit viewing data for ad targeting without consent.
- The complaints say monitoring extends across streaming apps, cable and broadcast content, Blu-ray playback, and media from connected devices via HDMI, Apple AirPlay, and Google Cast.
- Texas alleges deceptive disclosures and dark-pattern interfaces that prompt enrollment while scattering opt-out controls across lengthy, non-intuitive menus.
- The state seeks civil penalties under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act—up to $10,000 per violation and up to $250,000 per violation involving consumers 65 or older—plus restraining orders to stop collection, sharing, or sale of ACR data during the litigation.
- Paxton flags national-security concerns for China-based Hisense and TCL under China’s National Security Law, and several companies declined to comment as the cases begin initial court proceedings.