In a chilling accusation that strikes at the heart of digital privacy, Paramount Skydance Corp. and its streaming arm Pluto Inc. are being accused of illegally sharing children’s personal data with Google and Microsoft. The claims, filed Tuesday in California federal court, allege that the companies quietly transmitted sensitive information about minors’ viewing habits to internet giants without parental consent.
According to the complaint, five parents filed the Skydance Privacy Class Action, asserting that Paramount and Pluto harvested personally identifiable information (PII) — including details about specific shows watched by children — and shared it with Alphabet Inc. and Microsoft Corp. for ad-targeting purposes.
“A Breach of Trust and Innocence”
“When Google and Microsoft receive information about an individual’s media preferences and educational attainment, they compile it into an ever-growing advertising profile,” the complaint reads. “They use that data to stream tailored ads based on an individual’s interests, goals and anxieties.”
The lawsuit paints a picture of covert surveillance masquerading as entertainment. It alleges that Paramount’s streaming platform embedded Google and Microsoft tracking tools into its child-directed content, siphoning data from unsuspecting families.
The data allegedly enabled advertisers to identify children’s digital footprints — from the cartoons they watched to the learning shows they clicked — all to refine ad precision and maximize profit.
“One would hope that websites catering to children would be especially careful to avoid sharing information about those children with advertisers,” the suit laments. “Unfortunately, that is sometimes not the case.”
