Manufacturers of smart televisions from Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense, and TCL are unlawfully monitoring users through an automated content recognition system. This was announced by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed a lawsuit alleging violations of trade practice law, reports Ars Technica.
ACR technology can take screen captures every half-second, tracking everything the user watches—from streaming video to console gaming. The gathered viewer habit data is then sold to display targeted advertisements, jeopardizing the privacy of passwords and bank details.
“Thus, the ‘consent’ Samsung obtains from users for these actions is meaningless; users are essentially ‘unaware of what is happening inside their homes on Samsung smart TVs’,” the suit states.
Activating the surveillance requires just a single click of the remote, while completely disabling it necessitates over 15 steps in non-obvious menu sections. The Attorney General also expressed particular concern regarding the Chinese companies Hisense and TCL, pointing out that American data might be accessible to Chinese authorities under their national security laws. For each violation, manufacturers face a fine ranging from $10,000 to $250,000.
The issue of privacy in the “smart” home is becoming increasingly pressing amid the active development of ecosystems. Previously, “Zhukovsky.Life” reported that the “Sber Smart Home” platform learned to control Xiaomi appliances via voice command, integrating robotic vacuums, heaters, and lamps into scenarios. Manufacturers aim to create a unified control system for all devices, which increases convenience but simultaneously boosts the volume of data collected about the user.
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