Vizio Fined $2.2 Million For Spying On TV Viewers
posted by Mick Lee - 1 day ago
Do you own a Vizio TV? Chances are it's been monitoring what you watch and has been reporting it back to the company. According to the FTC, Vizio "then turned that mountain of data into cash by selling consumers' viewing histories to advertisers and others."
The FTC complaint goes on to say that Vizio "got personal" by providing consumer IP addresses to companies who then matched that information with an individual consumer or household.
In short: Vizio knew who you were and what you liked to watch and profited from that.
The FTC and New Jersey Attorney Generals office say that Vizio wasn't telling consumers about this practice. In order to settle the case, Vizio says it will stop tracking and will disclose it's TV viewing practice more prominently.
Vizio is also ordered to pay $1.5 million to the FTC and another penalty to the state of New Jersey, bringing the total settlement to $2.2 million.
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