Sling TV to Pay £415,000 After Claims It Misled Users on Data Privacy

Sling TV, one of the largest internet-based television providers in the United States, has agreed to a settlement with the California Department of Justice following allegations that the service shared private customer data without providing a clear means to opt out. The settlement, confirmed on 30 October 2025 and coming into effect this month, requires the Dish-owned company to pay $530,000 (£415,000) in civil penalties and overhaul its privacy interface.

The enforcement action is the first to arise from an investigative sweep of streaming services and 'connected TVs' launched by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. According to the Attorney General's office, Sling TV violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) by allegedly using 'confusing and hard-to-find' methods to prevent the sale of personal information.

The 'Dark Patterns' of Data Sharing

Central to the state's complaint was the allegation that Sling TV employed 'dark patterns'—deceptive user interface designs intended to subvert user choice. While the platform included a link titled 'Your Privacy Choices,' investigators found that it merely directed users to manage cookie preferences. Crucially, adjusting these cookies did not stop Sling TV from selling or sharing broader consumer data, such as location, income, and viewing history.

To truly opt out, customers were reportedly forced to navigate a 'burdensome' multi-step process. This included finding embedded links within large blocks of text and filling out webforms that required information—such as names and addresses—that the company already possessed for logged-in users. 'Californians have critical privacy rights... Sling TV was not providing consumers an easy way to opt-out,' said Attorney General Bonta.

Monetising the 'Living Room'

The investigation highlighted how modern streaming services have moved beyond simple subscription models to become data-driven advertising engines. Unlike traditional television, where ads are based on the content being watched, Sling TV allegedly used detailed 'psychographic' attributes to deliver highly targeted advertisements.

The service reportedly combined first-party data collected directly from subscribers with third-party data purchased from brokers to create 'enhanced data sets.' This information included age, gender, and even political affiliation, allowing advertisers to target households with precision, often without the viewers' explicit awareness. These practices are now the subject of additional mass arbitration efforts by law firms such as Morgan & Morgan and Labaton Keller Sucharow, who allege the company may have violated the federal Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA).

Concerns Over Children's Privacy

A significant portion of the settlement addresses the privacy of minors. The California DOJ alleged that Sling TV failed to provide sufficient protections for users under the age of 16. The service lacked a dedicated 'kid's profile' that would automatically default to a non-sharing mode, and it did not implement age-screening tools or obtain parental consent for data processing involving children under 13.

Under the terms of the injunction, Sling TV must now:

• Implement a 'single-click' opt-out mechanism within its apps on various devices (Roku, Apple TV, etc.).
• Stop requiring logged-in users to fill out redundant webforms for privacy requests.
• Allow parents to designate profiles as 'kid's profiles' that prohibit the sale of personal information by default, according to Holland & Knight.

A spokesperson for Sling TV stated that the company is 'pleased to reach a resolution' and has already implemented privacy enhancements to address the concerns raised by the Department of Justice. As regulators continue to sweep the streaming industry, the Sling TV settlement is being viewed by legal experts as a warning shot to other platforms that may be falling short of evolving digital privacy standards.