It’s not just LG. Every TV company is spying on you

A detailed Gamers Nexus investigation has prompted renewed scrutiny of smart TVs, with the video claiming LG sets can capture audio while appearing powered down, log viewing and network data, and be exploited to turn units into covert surveillance devices. Subsequent testing and reporting from security-focused outlets such as Level1Techs reproduced troubling behaviors and security exploits, though some individual claims in the video may rest on inference rather than confirmed manufacturer intent.

Industry-wide practices amplify the concern: most modern televisions include automatic content recognition (ACR) systems that fingerprint short audio or video segments to identify what’s playing. Manufacturers use this information to power recommendations, target ads, and feed partners and audience-measurement services. Because smart TVs are often sold at thin margins, companies increasingly rely on monetizing user behavior collected by their operating systems.

Consent is central to how that data is gathered, but reviewers and the Gamers Nexus video highlight that consent screens and end-user agreements can be long, confusing, or designed in ways that nudge users into enabling tracking. The Verge excerpt describes examples such as multiple agreements shown during setup with a cursor default on "Select All," and reviewers say they routinely use burner accounts, limit accepted agreements to those strictly required for basic operation, and toggle tracking features off in menus before testing.

Practical steps suggested by reviewers include avoiding the TV’s built-in voice features (or using voice on a separate streaming device), creating a dedicated email for TV accounts, disabling ACR and other tracking where possible, and disconnecting the TV from the network to use it purely as a display while routing streaming through a third-party device. The piece also notes vendor differences: for example, Apple TV does not use ACR and offers settings to disable play history and ask apps not to track, though streaming services themselves still collect usage tied to logins.

Beyond ACR, the security-tested exploits that allowed researchers to access microphones and network logs point to broader software-security risks in TV platforms. Those vulnerabilities — demonstrated by Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs during their analyses — show how a compromised device could leak local network information or capture background audio, reinforcing calls for clearer consent, stronger defaults, and improved patching and device security across manufacturers.