Crunchyroll has found itself in hot water, for allegedly, and unethically, doing what other companies have been found to have done in the past: selling clients’ private data. It has been revealed in a court document that the streamer may have sold users’ private information to third parties, and it did so outside the bounds of the law. According to the settlement agreement that’s now available for the public to read, and in Violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Crunchyroll had to settle in court because of the damages provoked by the selling of subscribers’ private information to Google, Facebook, their parties, among others.
This has been happening since September of 2022, but only now is it fully coming to light and sparking outrage among netizens. But along with the knowledge of the companies’ illicit deeds, came the opportunity for those affected, U.S. citizens at least, to be compensated for the damages of having their information sold.
How to file the claim and get compensated
If you live in the U.S., are or were a Crunchyroll subscriber, and file a claim form by Dec. 12, you may be entitled to some monetary (approximately $30) compensation, “but the exact amount is not yet known and could be more or less.” Judging by some online comments on social platforms, some users even received emails providing the link to the claim which landed in their junk box. Naturally, many thought these emails were nothing but a scam, but it appears that they are absolutely legit. This is the form you’ll want to use to attempt to receive your share of the payment.
“I’ll take it,” wrote a netizen on Reddit, who’s rightfully cynical about the whole ordeal, “but I 10 billion percent expect that fees will go up by $2.50/month (i.e., $30/year) in short order. No way Sony doesn’t just suck all the money right back up.”
It is important to note that Sony Pictures and Crunchyroll denied any wrongdoing. “Defendant denies that it violated any law but has agreed to the Settlement to avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with continuing the case.” It’s up to you to decide whether this is actually the case or an attempt to save face.
Learn more about the rights you have and what you may do on Kroll, the only website authorized by the Court pertaining directly to this now-settled, class-action lawsuit.