Smart TV tracking raises privacy concerns (2024)
21 hours ago
- #smart-tv
- #privacy
- #data-tracking
- Automatic content recognition (ACR) technology in smart TVs collects user viewing data, including snapshots of content, even from external devices like laptops.
- ACR operates by default and shares data with third parties such as advertisers and streaming services, raising significant privacy concerns.
- The study found that ACR captures data at high frequencies (e.g., 48,000 snapshots per second), but encrypted data prevents full transparency on what is collected.
- Opting out of ACR is complex and not user-friendly, with settings labeled vaguely as 'viewing information services'.
- Responses to GDPR requests from Samsung and LG were vague and did not match the observed volume of data transmitted, suggesting potential data withholding.