Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has leveled accusations against Samsung, alleging the company gathers excessive metadata via its televisions and employs notably opaque user agreements. In reaction, the corporation has committed to revising its policies and updating the agreement’s text to enhance user protection.
Samsung has issued a public guarantee that it will cease tracking users through its television sets, according to reporting by PCMag.
In December, Ken Paxton, the Attorney General for the State of Texas (USA), initiated legal action against Samsung, asserting that the firm excessively collects user data. Responding to this, the company acknowledged its shortcomings, vowing to overhaul its client data collection policy and revise the terms of its licensing agreement.
Late in 2025, Paxton uncovered that Samsung devices were engaging in monitoring activities. The South Korean brand’s televisions employed Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology, capable of gathering information about whatever was displayed on the screen. This collected information was then utilized for the delivery of advertisements.
Ken Paxton further highlighted that the terms laid out in Samsung’s user agreement were exceedingly difficult for the average person to interpret clearly.
“Nearly every user clicks ‘I agree’ simply to finalize the initial setup,” stated representatives from the Attorney General’s office.
Samsung has accepted responsibility for its failings and announced plans to redraft the text of its user agreement. PCMag journalists speculate that the episode involving Ken Paxton might establish a precedent, encouraging other television manufacturers to adopt a more cautious approach when handling consumer data.
Previously, analysts at Counterpoint Research noted that the South Korean giant, Samsung, had forfeited its top global television manufacturer ranking, losing the lead to the Chinese company TCL.
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