TV-spying furor widens; EFF demands federal privacy law after LG exposé
A Gamers Nexus investigation into LG TVs snowballed into a wider reckoning over how all smart TVs track and monetize viewing habits.
What to know
- A viral Gamers Nexus video accused LG TVs of recording audio, tracking viewing, and being remotely hackable; LG's response did not quiet the backlash.
- The Verge's reporting found the core practice — automatic content recognition tracking sold to advertisers — is standard across nearly all smart TV brands, not unique to LG.
- Consent for this tracking is often buried in confusing agreements with dark-pattern defaults, such as an LG screen pre-selecting 'Select All' across six required agreements.
- EFF is calling for a comprehensive federal privacy law requiring opt-in consent and data minimization, since current opt-out mechanisms are inconsistent and hard to find.
Gamers Nexus Tech review outlet/YouTube channelLG TV manufacturerThorin Klosowski EFF privacy researcherWalmart Owner of Vizio
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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EFF's Klosowski calls for a federal privacy law on TV data
EFF privacy researcher Thorin Klosowski told The Verge the fix requires a comprehensive federal privacy law mandating opt-in consent, banning deceptive design, and limiting data collection to what's needed for the service.
“We need a comprehensive federal privacy law that covers this sort of data collection and misuse…”
— Thorin Klosowski (EFF) -
E
“We need a comprehensive federal privacy law that covers this sort of data collection and misuse,” EFF’s @thorinklosowski.com told @theverge.com. That means requiring opt-in consent, no deceptive design tricks, & data minimization that limits companies to only what’s needed to provide the service.
2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch
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"Dumb" TV's are very much still available to purchase. I have three TVs in my home and none of them are smart TVs. You'll want to search for something called "hospitality TV" or "display monitor". Non-smart TVs are pretty essential for restaurant menus, kiosks, hotels with bulk TV subscriptions, airports, security rooms, and anywhere else that…
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Step 1: Disconnect TV. Step 2: Lifting with your knees, pick the TV up. Step 3: Deposit TV in the nearest dumpster.
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- 1 day quiet
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The Verge shows TV spying is an industry-wide practice, not just LG
The Verge reported that nearly every TV maker uses automatic content recognition (ACR) to fingerprint and track what users watch, feeding recommendations and ad targeting, and that dark-pattern consent flows — like an LG screen defaulting to 'Select All' across six agreements — obscure users' choices.
“TV prices have come down significantly over the years, to the point where some companies are selling them at a loss. But they make up that shortfall selling user behavior data they collect from the OS.”
— The Verge -
first by The Verge, 4d ago
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background
LG issues rushed response, fails to quell backlash — LG TV owners and tech enthusiasts reacted with fury to the allegations; a hurried company response did little to calm the situation.
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background
Gamers Nexus video accuses LG TVs of covert spying — A two-hour-and-15-minute Gamers Nexus video claimed LG TVs can record and store audio even when seemingly off, track everything users watch, and could be hacked remotely and turned into surveillance devices.