"At the heart of the cases is the fact that most smart TVs use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to send rapid-fire screenshots back to company servers, where they are analyzed to finely detail your TV usage. This sometimes covers not just streaming video, but whatever apps or external devices are displaying, and the allegations are that every other bit of personal data the set can scry is also pulled in. Installed apps can have trackers, data from other devices can be swept up."
"The companies are much less open about the mechanisms and amount of data collection, and deploy a barrage of defenses to entice customers into turning the stuff on and stop them from turning it off. You may have already seen massive on-screen Ts&Cs with only ACCEPT as an option, ACR controls buried in labyrinthine menu jails, features that stop working even if you complete the obstacle course - all this is old news."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued five major TV companies for excessive and deceptive surveillance of customers. Paxton singled out China-based Hisense and TCL, arguing they could be compelled to share collected data with the Chinese Communist Party. Most smart TVs use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to send rapid screenshots to company servers for analysis, capturing streaming content, apps, external devices, and other personal data. Installed apps can include trackers and sweep data from other devices. Smart TV makers tout data collection to partners while obscuring mechanisms and making opt-outs difficult. TV maker Vizio faced multiple lawsuits over similar practices.
#smart-tv-privacy #automatic-content-recognition #data-surveillance #china-national-security-concerns
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