VIZIO Announces Statement on FTC Resolution
February 6, 2017 – VIZIO, Inc. today issued the following statement regarding a resolution with the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (“NJ”) resulting from the investigation of information collection practices related to the automated collection of information about content viewed on VIZIO televisions, known as “ACR” or “viewing data.”
“VIZIO is pleased to reach this resolution with the FTC and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Going forward, this resolution sets a new standard for best industry privacy practices for the collection and analysis of data collected from today’s internet-connected televisions and other home devices,” stated Jerry Huang, VIZIO General Counsel. “The ACR program never paired viewing data with personally identifiable information such as name or contact information, and the Commission did not allege or contend otherwise. Instead, as the Complaint notes, the practices challenged by the government related only to the use of viewing data in the ‘aggregate’ to create summary reports measuring viewing audiences or behaviors.”
“Today, the FTC has made clear that all smart TV makers should get people’s consent before collecting and sharing television viewing information and VIZIO now is leading the way,” concluded Huang.
Even before today’s resolution was announced, VIZIO had addressed the concerns by updating online and onscreen disclosures. For example, the FTC Complaint acknowledged that VIZIO has sent onscreen notifications informing users about viewing data collection, reminding users of the option to turn this feature off or on, and educating users about the purpose and nature of its viewing data program.
This resolution concludes all pending government investigations into VIZIO’s privacy practices.
About VIZIO
Since our founding in California in 2002, VIZIO has built an industry-leading brand and sold over 75 million products, including televisions, sound bars and other devices. VIZIO is a leading HDTV brand in America 1 and is the #1 sound bar brand in America 2 . VIZIO product leadership is highlighted by a number of industry reviews and awards, making the 2016 collection the most awarded in company history. The VIZIO SmartCast P-Series, M-Series and E-Series Home Theater Displays all received Reviewed.com Editor’s Choice awards 3 and are all listed as CNET’s “Best TVs of 2016 4.” The VIZIO M-Series SmartCast Home Theater Display was awarded Editor’s Choice from CNET with an 8.8 rating 5 and the VIZIO SmartCast 65” E-Series Home Theater Display (E65u-D3) was awarded Reviewed.com’s "Best TV of the Year” award for 2016 6 . Also, the VIZIO D-Series earned a 2016 Editor’s Choice award from PC Magazine 7 . For more information, please call 888-VIZIOCE or visit www.VIZIO.com .
© 2017 VIZIO, Inc. VIZIO, the V Logo, VIZIO SmartCast, Active LED Zones and other terms and phrases are trademarks or registered trademarks of VIZIO, Inc. All other trademarks and logos are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
1 The NPD Group / Weekly Retail Tracking Service, based on TV units sold in the U.S. from Dec. 30, 2012- Aug. 27, 2016
2 The NPD Group / Weekly Retail Tracking Service, based on sound bar units sold in the U.S. from Dec. 30, 2012- Aug. 27, 2016
3 Visit reviewed.com for full reviews for the VIZIO SmartCast P-Series (published: 10/28/2016), VIZIO SmartCast M-Series (published: 10/5/2016) and VIZIO SmartCast E-Series (published: 9/13/2016)
4 Visit CNET.com for full article (published: 12/16/2016)
5 Visit CNET.com for the full review, published 9/16/2016
6 Visit reviewed.com for the full E65u-D3 review, published 11/14/16
7 Visit pcmag.com for the full VIZIO D-Series review, published 3/24/16
Press Contacts for VIZIO:
Katie Kotarak
The Brand AMP
T: 949-438-1078
Jim Noyd
Noyd Communications Inc.
T: 310-951-3768