Watching television seems to be a benign pastime, but as all TVs become "smart" and link to the internet via your network, they will be able to track you as well. When you turn on a smart TV from LG, Samsung, or Sony, data is collected from the TV itself, as well as the operating system and apps. Then there are the gadgets you connect to your television, like Google's Chromecast, Apple TV, and Amazon's Fire Stick.
A TV is now more than just a screen for entertainment; it's a two-way mirror that lets a network of data brokers and advertisers watch you in real time, stated Rowenna Fielding, director of data protection consultancy Miss IG Geek. “The purpose of this is to gather as much information as possible about your behaviour, interests, preferences and demographics so it can be monetised, mainly through targeted advertising.”
Your smart TV's data collection relies on the manufacturer, brand, and version. In theory, most smart TVs can gather audio, video, and TV usage data, according to Toby Lewis, global head of threat analysis at cybersecurity firm Darktrace.
Voice activation is a function that has the ability to collect significant volumes of data. Microphones and software listen for instructions and can record conversations and other noises within range. These recordings can be sent to third parties for analysis.
What does your TV do with the data?
There is no clear answer. According to Lewis, what is done with the data is complex and "highly opaque". When looking at what a smart TV does on the network, it is often unclear why certain data is being harvested and where it is being sent.
There isn't much distinction between television brands. Manufacturers claim to utilise your information for "personalisation" and content quality, although it is usual to sell anonymous or semi-anonymized data to third parties, advertising companies, or streaming services.
“After the data has been sold, it is out of the manufacturer’s control,” Lewis explains. "It is often unclear what data exactly is being sent back, depending on the T&Cs and privacy settings, and it can be very difficult to change default settings once you have agreed to them.”
What is Automatic Content Recognition (ACR)?
Automated content recognition (ACR) is one alarming feature to keep an eye out for. This feature, which is frequently enabled by default, uses analytical techniques to detect video and audio on the TV and compares it to a large database to determine what is playing. It's fairly disturbing stuff; ACR works on anything played on television, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, and games.
Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at security company ESET, explains that viewing data and habits are shared with manufacturers and eventually sold to advertisers in order to target you with adverts. When your TV is connected to your home router, data will include your IP address and position.
Lewis adds that ACR may theoretically be utilised for even more ominous profiling. "Data from facial recognition, sentiment analysis, speech-to-text, and content analysis could be gathered to build an in-depth picture of an individual user with the analytical technologies available."
Lewis suggests that rather than comparing material to a catalogue of well-known films, ACR may theoretically be examined for factors like political stance, ethnicity, social status, and other characteristics that could be misused.
Safety tips
Smart TVs will gather data as long as they are connected to the internet, and it is impossible to prevent this from happening. In many cases, doing so is not in your best interests because it will interfere with your viewing experience; for example, Netflix's useful suggestions tool.
However, there are several simple steps you may take to protect yourself from smart TV snooping. Turn off ACR in the settings, disable customisation, opt out of all advertising features, and hide or disable cameras and microphones.
It's also vital to secure your router by changing the password and creating a guest network. You may increase security by opting out of online tracking when it's provided and installing software updates as soon as possible.