Vizio, Inc., $2,200,000
Vizio installed tracking software on 11 million smart TVs that captured viewing data second-by-second and sold it, including linked demographic profiles, to advertisers without consumer knowledge.
Case identifiers
- Respondent
- Vizio, Inc.
- Agency
- FTC and New Jersey Attorney General
- Announced
- 2017-02-06
- Monetary relief
- $2,200,000
- Case number
- FTC Matter No. 162-3024
- Statutes cited
- FTC Act § 5 · New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act
Key facts
- 1
Vizio’s "Smart Interactivity" feature continuously captured viewing data and combined it with IP address for household profiling.
- 2
The data was sold to advertisers who used it to target ads across devices associated with the same IP.
- 3
Enabled by default on 11 million TVs; the opt-out was buried and insufficient.
- 4
Established the principle that second-by-second TV viewing data is sensitive personal information requiring express consent.
What the order requires
Injunctive terms imposed by the FTC and New Jersey Attorney General. These bind Vizio, Inc.'s data practices going forward.
- Required deletion of viewing data collected before March 1, 2016.
- Prominent disclosure and affirmative consent before future tracking.
- Implementation of a comprehensive privacy program with external assessments.
Primary sources
Read the original government documents. These are the authoritative records, everything on this page is derived from them.
- FTC and New Jersey Attorney General press releasehttps://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2017/02/vizio-pay-22-million-ftc-state-new-jersey-settle-charges-it
Exercise your rights now
Generate a deletion request for $5
The FTC order binds Vizio, Inc.'s future practices, but doesn't automatically delete your existing data. State privacy law (CCPA, CPA, TDPSA, VCDPA) gives you that right. OfflistMe generates a compliant deletion email pre-addressed to Vizio, Inc.'s registered privacy contact.
Start for $5 →FAQ
What did the FTC charge Vizio, Inc. with?+
Vizio installed tracking software on 11 million smart TVs that captured viewing data second-by-second and sold it, including linked demographic profiles, to advertisers without consumer knowledge. The FTC and New Jersey Attorney General cited FTC Act § 5, New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.
How much did Vizio, Inc. pay?+
Vizio, Inc. paid $2,200,000 in monetary relief, announced on 2017-02-06. The settlement also imposed injunctive terms (see below).
Does the Vizio, Inc. settlement mean my data has been deleted?+
The order requires Vizio, Inc. to delete certain categories of consumer data (see injunctive terms). Individual consumers should still exercise state-law deletion rights (CCPA, CPA, TDPSA) to confirm deletion from any remaining successor databases.
How can I read the original FTC order?+
The FTC and New Jersey Attorney General press release is available at https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2017/02/vizio-pay-22-million-ftc-state-new-jersey-settle-charges-it. The case / matter number is FTC Matter No. 162-3024.