Attorney General Ken Paxton has obtained a temporary restraining order against Hisense, a Chinese smart television manufacturer, to prevent the company from collecting personal data from Texans through Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology. The action follows a lawsuit filed earlier in the week by Paxton against Hisense and four other major technology companies.
According to the Texas Attorney General’s office, Hisense’s ACR technology captures every sound and image displayed on its televisions at half-second intervals without consumer knowledge or consent. The data collected is then sold for profit, and it is alleged that the Chinese Communist Party has access to all of this information.
The court order prohibits Hisense from collecting, using, selling, sharing, disclosing, or transferring ACR data about Texans while legal proceedings continue.
“The days of Chinese tech companies spying on Americans’ televisions are over,” said Attorney General Paxton. “This TRO is a major victory for privacy rights and the movement to stop Big Tech companies from secretly watching Texans. Let this be a notice to every other company wanting to steal Americans’ data illegally that there will be consequence for their unlawful and unethical activity.”
The Texas Attorney General operates as a state government agency focused on legal and law enforcement duties with more than 4,000 employees across 38 divisions and 117 offices statewide. Its responsibilities include upholding state laws, providing legal support to government entities, defending residents through consumer protection enforcement, coordinating efforts among various divisions such as child support and consumer protection, offering services like legal counsel for the state and preventing consumer fraud. These operations are maintained throughout Texas via its network of offices and legal authority (https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/press_releases).
