San Diego Launches Consumer Protection Unit, Sues AppLovin, Roblox and Polymaker

Business Wire··US·Read original
3▲0 ▼2Impact / 5
Summary · why it matters

San Diego County launched its new Consumer Fairness and Public Protection Unit on October 06, 2026, filing its first three lawsuits against AppLovin, Roblox and Polymaker over children's safety, consumer privacy and 3D-printed ghost guns. The unit was championed by Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, who first called for a local consumer protection division in her 2025 State of the County Address, arguing San Diego needed stronger local enforcement as federal consumer protections were rolled back. The County's complaint against AppLovin, a digital advertising platform whose technology reaches more than 1 billion daily active users worldwide, alleges its technology bypassed parental controls to serve ads for adult dating, alcohol, vaping, cannabis, graphic sexual content and violence inside mobile games used by children, and collected sensitive data from children's devices; the County brings claims under California's False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law and seeks injunctive relief, restitution and civil penalties, with Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP serving as outside counsel. The Roblox complaint alleges the platform, with about 144 million daily active users worldwide, marketed itself to parents and children as safe while failing to stop adults from posing as children and grooming young users, and seeks injunctive relief under California's Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. The Polymaker complaint alleges the 3D-printing filament maker deliberately marketed certain filaments to people making 3D-printed ghost guns, including sponsoring gun-printing influencer Sean Aranda and later hiring him as its Head of Customer Experience, and the County asks the court to stop these practices, impose civil penalties and require Polymaker to give up proceeds tied to unlawful conduct. County Counsel Damon Brown said the three lawsuits, filed in San Diego Superior Court, are proof the office has hit the ground running.

Impact on assets 3

Artificial Intelligence▼
Applovin Corp
APP
▼ NegativeRegulationrelevance

San Diego County sued AppLovin alleging its ad tech bypassed parental controls and collected children's data, seeking penalties and injunctive relief.

Spatial Computing / AR/VR▼
Roblox Corp
RBLX
▼ NegativeRegulationrelevance

San Diego County sued Roblox alleging it marketed itself as safe while failing to stop adults grooming young users.

Others▲

Off-coverage companies 1

Polymakeri
Private▼ NegativeRegulationrelevance

San Diego County sued Polymaker alleging it marketed 3D-printing filaments to people making ghost guns, seeking penalties and injunctive relief.