Smart television manufacturer and retailer Vizio has agreed to pay $2.2 million to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs to settle charges of unfair tracking, deceptive omission and deceptive representation. The FTC had alleged the company’s smart television sets were illegally tracking viewer watching habits.
The settlement, which requires the company to delete all collected viewer data by March 1, underscores the FTC’s approach to regulating internet of things (IoT) devices by enabling consumers to protect their own privacy and data. The FTC action also essentially broadens the scope of what the agency considers “sensitive data” able to cause injury, a move that further recognizes the far-reaching security implications of IoT devices.
