California Attorney General Rob Bonta has reached a $530,000 settlement with Sling TV LLC and Dish Media Sales LLC over allegations that the streaming service violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The state Department of Justice (DOJ) found that Sling TV did not provide an easy way for consumers to stop the sale of their personal information and failed to give adequate privacy protections for children.
The settlement follows an investigative sweep announced by the DOJ in January 2024, which examined whether streaming services and connected TVs complied with the CCPA’s opt-out requirements. Under the proposed agreement, which awaits court approval, Sling TV will pay civil penalties and make several changes to its privacy practices. These include making it easier for users to opt out of data sales, minimizing required steps in the process, and giving parents clear options to limit how their children’s data is collected and used.
“Californians have critical privacy rights. Our investigative sweep looked at all the different ways consumers should be able to stop the sale of their data when using streaming services,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We take privacy rights seriously and Sling TV was not providing consumers an easy way to opt-out of the sale of their personal data as required. My office is committed to the continued enforcement of the CCPA — every Californian has the right to their online privacy, especially in the comfort of their living room.”
Sling TV provides both paid subscriptions and a free, ad-supported service. Unlike traditional television advertising based on program content, Sling TV uses detailed consumer information—such as age, gender, location, and income—to deliver targeted ads. Many viewers may not be aware that this level of personalization relies on collecting personal data.
The DOJ’s investigation revealed that Sling TV made it difficult for users to opt out. Cookie preferences were combined with CCPA opt-out choices even though disabling cookies alone did not fulfill legal requirements. Consumers had to find a specific link embedded in webforms and complete multiple confirmation steps; even logged-in customers were asked to provide information already known to Sling TV. There was also no option within various apps for opting out or creating kids’ profiles that would limit targeted advertising or require parental consent for minors under 16.
Under terms of the settlement, Sling TV must stop directing consumers seeking CCPA opt-outs solely toward cookie settings, stop requiring redundant information from logged-in customers during opt-out requests, add app-based mechanisms for opting out across devices, allow parents to set up “kid’s profiles” with default protections against data sharing and targeted ads, and provide better disclosures and tools for parental control.
The CCPA grants Californians greater rights over their personal information collected by businesses—including knowing what is collected or shared about them—and requires companies subject to its provisions to respond promptly when consumers exercise those rights.
Attorney General Bonta has made enforcement of California’s privacy laws a priority. Earlier this year he took action against other companies over alleged violations involving health websites sharing sensitive user data without proper consent and mobile game developers collecting children’s information without parental approval. Previous settlements have also addressed similar issues involving employee data and location tracking.
More details about consumer privacy rights under California law can be found at oag.ca.gov/ccpa. Consumers who believe their rights have been violated can file complaints through oag.ca.gov/report.
