Smart TVs are built to siphon your data and sell it to advertisers or whomever else wants to know your viewing habits. LG, a screenmaker already coming off of a monitor adware scandal, has reportedly given its screens the ability to capture audio from your living room, even if the TV seems like it’s turned off.
In a two-hour-plus video by Gamers Nexus, fellow YouTuber Wendell from Level1Tech says, in his testing, LG TVs were capturing six-second bursts of audio from the TV and surrounding environment. This could be used for the purpose of advertising as a form of Automatic Content Recognition, or ACR. It’s important to recognize is that LG isn’t necessarily reviewing this audio data. This data essentially creates a fingerprint that is then sent to LG, which can cross-reference a database to show what you’re watching.
LG’s TVs can be sending this data even if the screen is off, according to the YouTubers’ findings. Gizmodo reached out to LG for comment, and we’ll update this post if we hear back. LG’s privacy policy explicitly gives the company consent to send data to advertising partners or law enforcement. LG also says it “may collect audio, electronic, visual, or similar information, such as video recordings” through its ThinkQ app.
The amount of data LG’s screens can log is staggering. The video describes how, with a few changes, these TVs are apparently able to identify devices using the home network, even those that aren’t actually connected to the TV itself. That includes the ability to identify several smartwatches and phones all on the same network. The screens are capable of monitoring all neighboring Wi-Fi networks, which could be used for geolocating users even if the data is anonymized.
Security researchers who analyzed Gamer’s Nexus findings suggested that users disconnect their LG TVs from the internet. That’s not necessarily out of privacy considerations but more so for all the potential vulnerabilities hackers could potentially exploit. Users could instead rely on a set-top box or TV stick, but those have their own data privacy considerations. Opting out of tracking on these streaming sticks could also disable certain smart features, so no matter what, you’re going in with some risk.
All smart TVs are voracious data snakes that are likely to unhinge their jaws and absorb every bit of data that comes their way. Most of the time, this comes up with ACR. It’s essentially how TVs identify what you’re watching and then tie that data to your habits. But as Rtings recently identified, the majority of modern TVs track every other device you plug into your TV, including game consoles. It’s also incredibly difficult to opt out, even if you wanted to.
Gamers Nexus has a tendency to bury the lede. The bigger problem isn’t necessarily how some ne’er-do-well could hack your home screen to spy on you while it’s off; it’s the fact your data isn’t just used by advertisers. U.S. law enforcement has been caught buying advertising data from data brokers as yet another form of surveillance.
That data can be linked directly to individuals, where such voice transcripts would be invaluable information for any law enforcement or government agency keeping tabs on U.S. residents. LG’s data collection may be especially egregious. Still, every TV owner is essentially giving up their privacy for the sake of buying a cheaper screen.
