In a suit filed on December 15, 2025, Texas alleges that Hisense USA Corporation, a China-based smart television company, and four other technology companies, are using Automatic Content Recognition (“ACR”) technology to monitor and record what consumers watch on their smart TVs – including programs viewed through streaming apps, cable, and connected devices like gaming consoles or Blu-ray players – without consumers’ knowledge or consent, in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The suit further alleges that this information is then sold to target ads across platforms and for profit.
Just days after filing that suit, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he had secured a first-of-its-kind temporary restraining order to prevent “Hisense from (1) collecting and (2) using, selling sharing, disclosing, or transferring ACR data about Texans as the case continues through the courts.”
Ken Paxton AG of Texas News Release | Texas’s Original Petition and Application for Temporary and Permanent Injunctions