Your smart TV may be doing far more than streaming shows and displaying your game console.
A social media post highlighting a GamersNexus investigation is raising concerns that some LG sets may be collecting more user data than many owners knowingly agreed to share.
That means one of the most-used screens in the home could also be functioning as a stealth tracking device.
Here's what to know
In an Instagram post, More Perfect Union (@perfectunion) summarized findings from an investigation conducted by YouTube channel GamersNexus. The investigation revealed that millions of LG televisions were collecting significant amounts of data about their customers, going so far as to even record conversations using the TVs' built-in microphones.
Smart TVs are often sold as convenient, all-in-one entertainment hubs. Most buyers expect to connect their streaming apps, tweak a few settings, and move on — not wade through dense privacy policies or dig through menus to limit tracking.
Viewing habits, app usage, and device behavior can reveal a person's routine, interests, and even who else may be in the home. But that is not all the televisions collect.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
According to Perfect Union, LG televisions also gather information about the devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the television, including the devices' IP addresses.
More background
Unlike many gadgets, a television often sits in a shared family space and may be used for hours each day by adults and children alike.
While some data-collection defenders might argue that consumers knowingly consent to bringing the devices into their homes, if users do not fully understand what they are agreeing to, the extent to which they can truly "consent" is called into question.
More data collection can mean more targeted advertising, more detailed consumer profiles, and more opportunities for companies to profit from information people never intended to share in the first place.
What can be done?
The first step users can take to protect themselves and their families is to check the privacy settings on the device itself. That can include disabling ad personalization, limiting viewing-data collection, and declining optional permissions that are not required for core functions.
Some consumers may also choose to keep a TV offline and use a separate streaming device only when necessary. Diligent users can also routinely review account settings tied to apps and voice assistants. While these steps alone will not solve industry-wide privacy concerns, they can reduce the amount of data leaving the home.
Investigations like the one conducted by GamersNexus put pressure on companies to explain precisely what data they collect and what they use it for. Clearer disclosures, simpler opt-out tools, and stronger privacy protections would make it harder for manufacturers to hide invasive practices behind long, confusing user agreements filled with legal jargon.
As things stand, consumers who already shelled out for the product are left doing extra work to protect themselves from the very devices they supposedly own.
Where can I learn more?
Companies can benefit from practices most people never know about while consumers deal with the fallout.
• Major tech companies created uncertainty around homeowners' utility bills as data centers strained local grids.
• In Texas, crypto miners kept exploiting the system for profit as power use surged.
• Energy firms faced a rapidly evolving landscape as mega-data-center tariffs reshaped electricity contracts.
• Amazon drew criticism for using distorting data to bolster its clean-energy claims.
• Shoppers learned there are few things more infuriating than labels that mimic sustainability without substance.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
