1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

The streaming industry has developed unprecedented capabilities for surveillance and manipulation that pose severe privacy risks to consumers. Companies are deploying invasive tracking techniques like identity graphs and cookie-less IDs to harvest sensitive data about viewers' health conditions, political interests, and demographics like race and ethnicity. This data is then exploited for targeted advertising campaigns without transparency or meaningful consent from users. Even more concerning, streaming platforms are beginning to leverage generative AI for dynamically altering content and ads in real-time based on individual viewer data. This enables highly personalized and manipulative advertising tactics that could be used to spread disinformation or discriminate against vulnerable communities. These practices fundamentally undermine consumer privacy and choice. They represent an unacceptable breach of trust between companies and the public. Robust federal privacy legislation is urgently needed to rein in the streaming industry's unrestrained data harvesting and ensure transparency and protections for consumers. Comprehensive rules must be established governing how consumer data can be collected, used, and shared, with stiff penalties for violations. The public deserves to stream content without being subjected to Orwellian levels of surveillance capitalism.