Can I file a claim and get money from the Disney privacy settlement?

No. This is not a class action settlement — there is no claim form and no individual payouts to consumers. This is a government enforcement action by the California Attorney General. The $2.75 million is a civil penalty paid by Disney to the state of California, not to individual users. However, the settlement does force Disney to fix its privacy practices, which directly benefits all Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ subscribers.

What did Disney do wrong with my streaming data?

Even when you told Disney to stop selling or sharing your data, Disney kept doing it. If you used the opt-out toggle on Disney+, it only applied to that one app and often only that one device — not your whole account. If you used Disney's webform, Disney stopped sharing data through its own ad platform but continued sharing your data with third-party ad-tech companies. If you used the Global Privacy Control browser setting, Disney only honored it for the device you were using, not your full account. In all cases, your opt-out request was not fully honored.

Which Disney streaming services were involved?

Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ are all covered. The settlement also applies to any Disney website, application, or online service that collects consumer personal information that Disney sells, shares, or uses for cross-context behavioral advertising.

What is the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)?

The CCPA is a California law that gives residents the right to know what personal information businesses collect about them, the right to delete that information, and the right to tell businesses to stop selling or sharing their data. When you click 'Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information' on a website, that's your CCPA right. The law requires businesses to actually honor that request across all their services and devices — which is exactly what Disney failed to do.

Is this the largest CCPA fine ever?

Yes. At $2.75 million, this is the largest settlement under the California Consumer Privacy Act in its history. Previous CCPA enforcement actions targeted companies including Sephora, DoorDash, Jam City, Sling TV, Healthline.com, and Tilting Point Media. This is the seventh CCPA enforcement action by the California Attorney General.

How do I opt out of Disney selling my data right now?

As a result of this settlement, Disney is required to make opting out simpler and more effective. Log into your Disney account and look for an opt-out toggle, 'Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information' link, or privacy settings. If you use a browser with the Global Privacy Control enabled, Disney must now honor that signal account-wide when you're logged in. The settlement requires Disney to update all its services to comply, with progress reports due every 60 days.

What is the Global Privacy Control?

The Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a browser setting or extension that automatically tells every website you visit to stop selling or sharing your data. Think of it as a universal 'do not sell my info' switch. Some browsers like Firefox and Brave have it built in, and it's available as an extension for others. Under California law, businesses must honor GPC signals. One of Disney's violations was only honoring GPC for the specific device — not the user's full account.

Could there be a class action lawsuit against Disney over this?

This specific settlement is between the California Attorney General and Disney, and it releases Disney from civil claims related to opt-out violations on streaming services. However, individual consumers may still have private rights of action under certain CCPA provisions, and other privacy lawsuits against Disney could exist separately. If a class action related to Disney's privacy practices is filed, we will cover it.

$2.75 Million Disney Streaming Consumer Privacy Settlement

Q: What does Disney have to do now?

Disney must overhaul its opt-out process. When a logged-in user opts out on any Disney streaming service, it must apply across all Disney streaming services connected to their account — not just the one app or device. Disney must honor the Global Privacy Control signal account-wide for logged-in users. Disney must provide clear, easy opt-out links in all streaming apps including connected TV apps. Disney must not use confusing design to trick users into thinking they've opted out when they haven't. Disney must also report to the AG on its compliance every 60 days and submit annual monitoring reports for three years.

By Steve Levine

Disney CCPA Privacy Settlement Disney Plus Hulu ESPN Plus

Published: February 16, 2026

Fine: $2,750,000 in civil penalties — largest CCPA settlement in California history

Type: Government enforcement action (not a class action — no claim form, no individual payouts)

Services Affected: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and all Disney streaming services

Let's get the most important question out of the way first: no, you cannot file a claim and get money from this settlement. This is not a class action. There's no claim form and no individual payouts.

This is a government enforcement action — California Attorney General Rob Bonta fined Disney $2.75 million for violating the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) by continuing to sell and share user data from Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ even after customers explicitly told Disney to stop. The fine goes to the state of California, not to individual consumers.

So why should you care? Because the settlement forces Disney to fundamentally change how it handles your privacy choices — and because what Disney was doing is something a lot of people don't realize was happening.

What Was Disney Doing With Your Data?

When you stream something on Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN+, Disney collects personal information about you — what you watch, when you watch it, what device you're using, and more. Disney then sells or shares some of this data with third-party advertising companies who use it to target ads at you across the internet. This is called "cross-context behavioral advertising." It's legal, but California law gives you the right to tell companies to stop doing it.

The problem? When you actually exercised that right and told Disney to stop, Disney didn't actually stop. Not fully, anyway. The California Attorney General's investigation — which started with a 2024 sweep of streaming services — found three major ways Disney's opt-out process failed.

Three Ways Disney Ignored Your Opt-Out

The opt-out toggle only applied to one app on one device. If you toggled the opt-out setting in the Disney+ app on your Roku, for example, Disney only stopped selling your data from that one app on that one device. If you also used Hulu on your phone or ESPN+ on your tablet — all under the same Disney account — Disney kept right on selling your data from those other services and devices.

The webform only partially worked. Disney offered a webform to opt out. But it only stopped sharing through Disney's own advertising platform. Disney continued sharing your data with third-party ad-tech companies whose tracking code was embedded directly in Disney's websites and apps. So you thought you opted out, but your data was still flowing to outside companies.

The Global Privacy Control was treated as device-specific. The Global Privacy Control (GPC) is a browser setting that sends an automatic "do not sell my data" signal to every website you visit. California law requires businesses to honor it. Disney technically honored GPC — but only for the one device sending the signal, even when you were logged into your account. Your account-wide data sharing continued.

What Is the CCPA and Why Does This Matter?

The California Consumer Privacy Act is one of the strongest privacy laws in the United States. It gives California residents the right to know what personal data companies collect about them, the right to delete that data, and the right to tell companies to stop selling or sharing it. When you see a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link at the bottom of a website, that's a CCPA requirement.

The key principle behind this settlement is that when you opt out, it has to actually work — everywhere. You shouldn't have to opt out separately on every device, every app, and every streaming service under the same account. One request should cover everything. Disney's system violated that principle.

This is the seventh CCPA enforcement action by the Attorney General and the largest fine ever. Previous actions targeted Sephora, DoorDash, Jam City, Sling TV, Healthline.com, and Tilting Point Media.

What Does Disney Have to Do Now?

The settlement imposes a permanent injunction — meaning these aren't suggestions, they're court orders. Disney must make the following changes to all its streaming services:

When a logged-in user opts out on any Disney streaming service, Disney must apply that choice across all Disney streaming services connected to the user's account. No more device-by-device or app-by-app opt-outs.

Disney must honor the Global Privacy Control signal account-wide for logged-in users.

Disney must provide clear, easy-to-find opt-out links in all streaming apps, including connected TV apps (smart TVs, Roku, Fire Stick, etc.). Previously, some connected TV apps had no in-app opt-out and just pointed users to a webform.

Disney cannot use confusing design or choice architecture to trick users into thinking they've opted out when they haven't, or to discourage opting out.

When a user opts out, Disney must notify all third parties that received that user's data and tell them to stop using it.

Disney must provide a way for users to confirm their opt-out has been processed.

Disney must continue protecting children's data (under 13) and minors (13-15) by not selling or sharing their information without affirmative authorization.

How Is Disney Being Monitored?

Disney must provide compliance updates to the Attorney General every 60 days until all its services are in full compliance. Disney must also implement a monitoring program and submit annual reports to the AG for three years documenting how it assesses whether its opt-out methods are actually working.

How to Protect Your Privacy Now

While you can't get money from this settlement, you can take steps to protect your data:

Log into your Disney account and look for privacy or opt-out settings. Because of this settlement, Disney is required to make these easier to find and use — and to apply your choice across all services linked to your account.

Consider installing the Global Privacy Control. It's built into browsers like Firefox and Brave, and available as an extension for Chrome and other browsers. It automatically tells every website you visit to stop selling your data. Under this settlement and California law, Disney must honor it account-wide for logged-in users.

If you want to report a CCPA violation, you can submit a complaint to the California Attorney General at oag.ca.gov/report.

Key Details

• Settlement Amount: $2,750,000 in civil penalties (paid to State of California)
• Type: Government enforcement action — NOT a class action (no individual payouts)
• Announced: February 11, 2026
• Streaming Services: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and all Disney online services
• Compliance Updates: Every 60 days until full compliance, plus annual reports for 3 years

How Do I Find Class Action Settlements?

Find all the latest class actions you can qualify for by getting notified of new lawsuits as soon as they are open to claims:

Case Information

The case is People of the State of California v. Disney DTC, LLC and ABC Enterprises, Inc., Case No. 24STCV04425, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles.

Defendants: Disney DTC, LLC (Delaware LLC) and ABC Enterprises, Inc. (California corporation), on behalf of their affiliates and subsidiaries, including any U.S. corporate member of The Walt Disney Family of Companies.

Plaintiff: The People of the State of California, through Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Attorneys for the People: Maneesh Sharma, Amos E. Hartston, and Yen P. Nguyen, Deputy Attorneys General; Stacey D. Schesser, Supervising Deputy Attorney General; Nicklas A. Akers, Senior Assistant Attorney General.

Defense Counsel: Alysa Z. Hutnik and Austin J. Del Priore of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP (Washington, DC).

Laws Violated: California Consumer Privacy Act (Civil Code § 1798.100 et seq.) and the Unfair Competition Law (Business and Professions Code § 17200 et seq.).

Court Documents

Sources

• California Attorney General Press Release, February 11, 2026
• [Proposed] Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction, People of the State of California v. Disney DTC, LLC and ABC Enterprises, Inc., Case No. 24STCV04425 (Superior Court, Los Angeles County, CA)

About This Article

This is a government enforcement action, not a class action settlement. There is no claim form and no money available to individual consumers. This article is provided for informational purposes to help consumers understand what Disney was doing with their data and what privacy protections have been put in place. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news site and is not a law firm.

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Settlement Summary
Type	Government Enforcement Action — NOT a class action
Can I File a Claim?	No — no claim form, no individual payouts
Civil Penalty	$2,750,000 (paid to State of California)
Record	Largest CCPA settlement in California history
Announced	February 11, 2026
Defendants	Disney DTC, LLC & ABC Enterprises, Inc. (The Walt Disney Company)
Services Affected	Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and all Disney streaming/online services
Violation	Failed to fully honor consumer opt-out requests to stop selling/sharing data
Laws	California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) & Unfair Competition Law (UCL)
Plaintiff	People of the State of California (AG Rob Bonta)
Case Number	24STCV04425
Court	Superior Court, Los Angeles County, CA
Monitoring	Compliance updates every 60 days + annual reports for 3 years
CCPA Enforcement #	7th CCPA enforcement action by California AG