"To understand how ACR works, imagine a constant, real-time Shazam-like service running in the background while your TV is on. It identifies content displayed on your screen, including programs from cable TV boxes, streaming services, or gaming consoles. ACR does this by capturing continuous screenshots and cross-referencing them with a vast database of media content and advertisements. According to The Markup, ACR can capture and identify up to 7,200 images per hour, or approximately two images every second."
"This extensive tracking provides valuable insights for marketers and content distributors, as it reveals connections between viewers' personal information and their preferred content. By "personal information," I mean email addresses, IP addresses -- and even your physical street address. By understanding what viewers watch and engage with, marketers can make decisions on content recommendations to create bespoke advertising placements. They can also track advertisements that lead to purch"
Most mainstream smart TVs run automatic content recognition (ACR) that continuously identifies on-screen content from cable boxes, streaming services, and gaming consoles by capturing screenshots and matching them against a media database. ACR can capture up to 7,200 images per hour, roughly two per second, producing granular viewing logs. Manufacturers and advertisers link those logs to personal information such as email addresses, IP addresses, and street addresses, then use the data to build targeted ad campaigns. Advertisers invested roughly $18.6 billion in smart TV ads in 2022. Disabling ACR can reduce tracking but often requires navigating hidden settings.
Read at ZDNET
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