Yes. Three plaintiffs filed a federal class-action lawsuit against Samsung Electronics America over its smart TVs' data collection on October 6, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, case no.
3:26-cv-11448, according to Bloomberg Law. The named plaintiffs — Danielle Tillery, Michael Walsh, and David Rosenberg — accuse Samsung of using its smart TVs to track what people watch without properly telling them. The lawsuit targets automatic content recognition, or ACR, a technology built into most modern smart TVs that identifies what's on screen so it can be matched to advertising profiles. The complaint says Samsung collected and shared this viewing data with advertising partners without adequate consent, and it asserts 14 separate legal claims, according to Bloomberg Law and allaboutlawyer.com.
Official resources:
- Explore the official data from Texasattorneygeneral — Use this primary source to review the underlying data.
- Explore the official data from Texasattorneygeneral — Use this primary source to review the underlying data.
Table of Contents
- What the Lawsuit Alleges
- Who the Proposed Class Covers
- This Isn't Samsung's First ACR Case
- How the Texas Settlement Played Out
- Where Things Stand and What to Watch
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The complaint centers on ACR, the feature that lets a smart TV recognize on-screen content — whether from a cable box, streaming app, or connected device — and report it back to the manufacturer. Plaintiffs allege Samsung used ACR to capture viewing data and pass it to advertising partners without adequately disclosing the practice or getting real consent, according to Bloomberg Law.
The 14 causes of action include invasion of privacy, negligence, and unjust enrichment, according to allaboutlawyer.com. That range of claims means the plaintiffs aren't just arguing Samsung violated a specific statute — they're also arguing the company was careless with personal data and profited from information it had no right to collect.
Who the Proposed Class Covers
The proposed class is broad: anyone in the United States whose Samsung smart TV collected, analyzed, or transmitted viewing data, according to allaboutlawyer.com. That includes people whose viewing data was linked to identifying information, such as an account or device profile, not just anonymous viewing patterns.
Plaintiffs are seeking two things: monetary damages for class members and an injunction that would stop Samsung from continuing the alleged data collection practices, according to the same source. An injunction, if granted, would change how Samsung's TVs operate going forward rather than just compensating people after the fact.
- Who may be covered: U.S. residents who owned or used a Samsung smart TV with ACR active
- What's being sought: damages plus a court order halting the challenged data practices
- Where it's filed: U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
This Isn't Samsung's First ACR Case
A separate, earlier class action over the same ACR practices was filed in January 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by five plaintiffs led by Joseph DiGiacinto. Those plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case in July 2026, according to Bloomberg Law.
A voluntary dismissal ends that particular case without a ruling on the merits, and it does not bar the new October 2026 lawsuit, which involves different plaintiffs and a different court. Samsung has also faced government action on the same underlying issue. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Samsung, along with LG, Sony, Hisense, and TCL, in December 2025 under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, alleging ACR data collection without proper consumer consent, according to the Texas Attorney General's office.
How the Texas Settlement Played Out
Samsung settled the Texas AG's suit, with the agreement announced February 26, 2026. Samsung agreed to stop collecting or processing ACR viewing data from Texas residents without express consent and to add clearer consent screens and disclosures, according to the Texas Attorney General's press release. The settlement did not include a monetary fine.
Samsung disputed any wrongdoing in reaching that deal. The company said its original privacy policy already complied with Texas law and maintained that Samsung TVs "do not spy on consumers," according to BleepingComputer. Texas's parallel suits against Sony, Hisense, and TCL over the same practices remained unsettled in the most recent reporting, while LG reportedly reached a similar settlement with Texas around May 11, 2026, according to the Texas Attorney General's office.
Where Things Stand and What to Watch
The October 2026 federal class action is newly filed, with no ruling, class certification, or settlement yet reached, according to Bloomberg Law. Samsung has not been found liable, and had not publicly responded to this specific complaint as of the available coverage.
For anyone who owns a Samsung smart TV, there's nothing to file or sign up for yet — no settlement fund exists, and no claims process has opened. People in this situation should watch for case updates tied to docket number 3:26-cv-11448 in the Northern District of California, since a motion for class certification or a settlement announcement would be the next milestones to track.
- Check the docket periodically for case no. 3:26-cv-11448 in the Northern District of California
- Note that the earlier New York case (DiGiacinto) was dismissed and is separate from this one
- Expect any settlement, if one happens, to take the form of an eventual court filing before a claims process opens
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same lawsuit Samsung settled with Texas?
No. The Texas settlement, announced February 26, 2026, resolved a government enforcement action brought by the Texas Attorney General. The October 2026 federal case is a separate, privately filed class action in California.
What happened to the earlier Samsung smart TV lawsuit?
A different group of plaintiffs, led by Joseph DiGiacinto, filed a similar case in New York in January 2026 and voluntarily dismissed it in July 2026, according to Bloomberg Law.
Can I join the class action now?
The case was just filed and has not been certified as a class action or settled, so there is no claims process to join yet.