Smart TVs & Connected Devices · Smart TV manufacturer / ad platform · Regulatory action
Vizio
Headline
Vizio is the original smart-TV spying case.
Not independently verified. Verification status: Unverified - heuristic first draft. Publish state: draft unverified.
Vizio is the original smart-TV spying case. In February 2017 it paid $2.2 million to settle FTC and New Jersey charges that it collected second-by-second viewing histories from about 11 million TVs without telling owners, and sold that data on. Vizio is now owned by Walmart (deal closed Dec. 3, 2024), which bought it partly for the advertising data its TVs produce - so the viewing data that triggered the 2017 case now sits inside the largest U.S. retailer's ad business.
- Severity
- Evidence tierUnassigned
- Claims confirmed
- Last verified2026-10-16
Primary source. www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1835591/000119312524269483/d909505d8k.htm — Unverified - heuristic first draft.
Terms
Arbitration
Yes - binding individual arbitration before a single arbitrator for all disputes (small-claims carve-out), with a class action waiver; FAA governs, Texas law as fallback (Terms of Service effective Mar. 16, 2026).
Data sharing
HISTORICAL (settled 2017): FTC and New Jersey AG alleged Vizio collected viewing histories from ~11 million smart TVs without consent and sold the data to advertisers and others. CURRENT: Vizio is a wholly owned Walmart subsidiary; how Vizio viewing data is shared with Walmart's ad business was not verified this pass (privacy policy not retrieved).
Fees and billing
None found this pass.
Contacts
Privacy contact. Not recorded.
Legal notice. Arbitration demands per Terms of Service: Walmart Inc. Legal Department, 1 Customer Drive, Mailstop 0215, Bentonville, AR 72716. Vizio address listed in Terms: 39 Tesla, Irvine, CA 92618.
Mailing address. Not recorded.
Evidence
No claims have been itemized for this row yet.
Sources
| Source | Claim | Tier | Status | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia (lead source; cites FTC release) · 2026-10-16 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizio | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “In February 2017, Vizio agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle the charges.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| SEC filing (8-K) · 2024-12-03 www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1835591/000119312524269483/d909505d8k.htm | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “with VIZIO surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Company terms · 2026-03-16 www.vizio.com/en/terms/terms-of-service | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “YOU AND VIZIO AGREE THAT ANY ARBITRATION REQUIRED BY THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT WILL TAKE PLACE ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| State AG press release · 2026-05-11 texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-secures-major-agreement-lg-protect-texans-privacy-and-stop-data-being | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “Cases against Sony and Hisense and TCL Technology, the latter two of which are based in China, remain ongoing.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
Source vault
Link status: Candidate - not yet fetched
| Document | Last fetch | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy policy No URL recorded | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Terms of service https://www.vizio.com/en/terms/terms-of-service | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Website https://www.vizio.com | Not fetched yet | — |
| Primary source https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1835591/000119312524269483/d909505d8k.htm Verification: Unverified - heuristic first draft | Not fetched yet | — |
Enforcement
| Action | Amount | Link |
|---|---|---|
| FTC and New Jersey v. VIZIO, Inc. and VIZIO Inscape Services, LLC Federal Trade Commission, New Jersey Attorney General, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, 2017 No. 2:17-cv-00758 (D.N.J. filed Feb. 6, 2017). | $2.2M | proposed |
Links are proposed matches, not yet reviewed.
State statute
Headquarters on file: CA. Provisions of CCPA/CPRA on file:
| Provision | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Right to Deletion Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.105 | hard | source |
| Right to Correction Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.106 | hard | source |
| Right to Know / Access Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.110 | hard | source |
| Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.121; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, § 7027 | hard | source |
| Right to Data Portability Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.130(a)(3)(B)(iii) | hard | source |
| Privacy Policy / Privacy Notice Requirements Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.130(a)(5); Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, § 7011 | hard | source |
| Sensitive Personal Information — Categories Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(ae) | hard | source |
| Service Provider and Contractor Contract Requirements Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(ag); Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, § 7051 | hard | source |
| Applicability Threshold (2025 CPI-Adjusted) Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(d) | threshold | source |
| Privacy Risk Assessment — Mandatory for High-Risk Processing (Eff. Jan. 1, 2026) Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.185(a)(15); Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, §§ 7150-7157 | hard | source |
| Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.120, 1798.135 | hard | source |
| Sale vs. Sharing Distinction Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.140(ad), 1798.140(ah) | hard | source |
| Enforcement — CPPA and AG; Civil Penalties (2025 CPI-Adjusted) Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.155, 1798.199.90; Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17206 | hard | source |
| Notice at Collection Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, § 7012 | hard | source |
| Cybersecurity Audit — Annual Independent Audit Requirement (Eff. Jan. 1, 2026) Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, §§ 7120-7124 | hard | source |
| Automated Decision-Making Technology (ADMT) — Notice, Opt-Out, and Access Rights Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, §§ 7200-7222; Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.185(a)(16) | hard | source |