Your Smart TV Might Be Watching You
The smart television hanging on your wall has more uses than just streaming your favorite shows; it may actually be monitoring you. A recent expose reveals that certain smart TVs are capturing conversations happening in the living room, keeping unencrypted transcripts, and collecting other private information—purportedly to improve advertising strategies. Here’s a quick rundown of what this means for you and how to potentially mitigate it.
In a two-hour video from Gamers Nexus, Steve Burke, the editor in chief, contends that LG’s smart TVs can gather a vast amount of data about users.
If you possess any smart TV, you’re not entirely out of the woods.
Burke asserts that his team found plain-text transcripts of voice inputs and conversations from the TV. They also suggested that audio and video recordings could be transmitted to a remote device, even when the TV isn’t connected to the internet.
While the idea of TVs recording conversations is concerning, there’s also the risk of other personal data being captured. For example, Burke noted that his LG TV scouted his network for other smart devices connected to the same Wi-Fi—such as iPhones, Android devices, Apple Watches, routers, printers, and PCs. It recorded the IP address of the network and identified locations of nearby Wi-Fi networks as well.
This would essentially compile most, if not all, available information on the device.
Ultimately, Burke suggests that LG might aggregate this information and sell it to advertisers through their LG Ad Solutions network. However, Gamers Nexus indicates that LG and its affiliates aren’t the only entities who might access this data; hackers could exploit “remote code execution” vulnerabilities to hijack the TV and alter its functions.
It’s important to point out that LG has rejected all claims made by Burke, vehemently disputing his findings.
The accusations made in the recent video are unfounded. LG TVs only process voice data when the voice button on the remote is active or when a wake word, like “Hi LG,” is recognized after the user has enabled the Far-Field voice recognition feature. Outside of these scenarios, the TVs do not capture or record background conversations. If the wake word is unrecognized, no voice data is sent to the server; the audio processing for wake word detection is handled locally and deleted immediately.
So, where does this put consumers?
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Even if you’re concerned about having an LG smart TV recording your conversations, you might feel secure using a different brand. The reality, however, is that if you have any smart TV, your privacy isn’t completely guaranteed.
Shortly after Burke’s video came out, The Verge, a well-known tech publication, suggested that virtually all smart TVs utilize automatic content recognition—ACR. Most modern TVs come with ACR, which observes what you watch and can also capture audio and video during viewing sessions, transmitting this information to a server for content recommendations or targeted advertising.
While ACR doesn’t seem as invasive as the alleged audio surveillance of LG TVs, it still shows that your viewing habits are being tracked and monetized without your consent.
So, what can you do about this? If you’re an LG TV owner and unsure of your next steps, here are a few suggestions:
- Reset your smart TV to factory settings. The exact method can vary based on the model of your LG TV, but the aim is the same—erase any local data the TV has collected, including any snooping data.
- Disconnect your TV from the internet. Disable Wi-Fi and unplug any ethernet cords connected to the back of the TV. If your TV is offline, it can’t send any data. However, note that Burke’s findings indicated that LG TVs could still capture conversations offline and send those transcripts if reconnected, so keeping your TV away from Wi-Fi permanently is a good idea.
- Consider using an alternate streaming device. Since you’ve essentially turned your smart TV back into a regular TV, you could regain some smart functionalities by linking a separate streaming gadget—ideally one that doesn’t come with ACR features. Options like Apple TV and Google TV Streamer tend to be ACR-free, while Fire TV and Roku typically have ACR technology built in.
The ultimate way to prevent smart TV manufacturers from prying into your private life is to avoid owning one altogether. But, finding non-smart TVs can be quite the challenge these days, especially in larger sizes. If you’re planning to shop for a new set soon, just proceed with caution and pay attention to how this situation develops.
