The Walt Disney Company × State of California
The Walt Disney Company agreed to a $2.75 million settlement with the California Attorney General over violations of the CCPA. [60, 62] The investigation found that Disney failed to provide a comprehensive, user-friendly way for consumers to opt out of data sharing across its streaming services, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. [34, 49]
The asset
Settlement for allegations of violating the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) by failing to properly process consumer requests to opt-out of the sale or sharing of their personal data. [60, 62]
The record
- Seller status
- Going concern
- Sector
- Government / Regulator
- Modalities
- personal_data
- Jurisdiction
- US
- Personal data
- The settlement resolves allegations that Disney's opt-out mechanisms were fragmented, requiring users to opt-out on each device and service separately, and did not fully stop data sharing with third-party advertisers. [49, 58]
What it means if you hold data
This case emphasizes that regulators expect privacy controls to be comprehensive and user-friendly, applying across a company's entire ecosystem of services for a logged-in user. It set a new record for a CCPA penalty at the time, signaling that merely providing an opt-out link is insufficient if it is not technically effective. [49, 58]