• by Wendy Davis , 7 hours ago

Dish's Sling TV has agreed to pay $530,000 settle charges that it violated California privacy law by failing to offer consumers a simple way to opt out of the use of their data for advertising, and failing to provide "sufficient privacy protections" for children, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said Thursday.

The proposed settlement, which awaits court approval, also requires Sling to provide an opt-out that's "consumer-friendly," "easy to execute" and requires minimal steps.

A Sling spokesperson said the company has "implemented privacy enhancements" to address California's concerns. The spokesperson added that Sling disagrees with "certain characterizations" by Bonta's office, while it "remains committed to respecting the privacy rights of its customers."

News of the deal comes almost two years after Bonta launched a privacy crackdown on companies offering streaming apps or devices. As part of that initiative, he sent letters to streaming companies that allegedly didn't give residents an easy mechanism to opt out of the sale or sharing of their data.

Bonta's complaint, filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that Sling "deceptively directed consumers seeking to exercise their ... right to opt-out to its cookie preference controls – even though cookies are not the only way Sling TV sells and shares consumers' data."

He added: "Consumers who figured out that turning off cookies would not stop all selling and sharing of their information had to click through hard-to-find links and fill out a webform to actually opt out."

Sling also allegedly failed to offer an opt-out method within apps, "even though most Sling TV customers use the app on various connected living-room devices to access its services."

The complaint additionally alleges that Sling failed to comply with California restrictions on data collection from minors. Among other requirements, California requires companies to obtain explicit consent from teens under 16 before collecting or sharing their personal information.