📺 Your Smart TV Might Be Watching You

Smart TVs are convenient. They stream your favorite shows, respond to your voice, and even recommend what to watch next.

But they’re also collecting data—a lot of it.

If your TV’s tracking features are turned on (and they usually are by default), it may be capturing what you watch, when you watch, and how you interact with your apps. Some models even scan what’s playing through HDMI-connected devices like game consoles or cable boxes.

And all of that data? It's sent off to advertisers and data brokers.

Let’s break down what’s really happening—and how to shut it down.

👁️ What Your Smart TV Can Track

Most tracking happens through a technology called Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). Here’s what it can collect:

• Every show, movie, or commercial you watch — even if you're using a Blu-ray player or streaming stick

• Your app usage — including what apps you use, how long you use them, and when

• Your IP address and network info

• Your voice commands (if the mic is enabled)

• Your TV habits — like what time you usually watch or what days you binge most

In some cases, this even includes fingerprinting the screen content itself, capturing short bursts of video and comparing them to a global content database.

🧪 What the Research Says

Several independent studies confirm what privacy advocates have warned about for years:

• Researchers at University College London and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid found that smart TVs monitor screen content multiple times per second, even if you’re watching content via external HDMI devices.

• A Princeton/CMU study found that 89% of smart TV apps send data to third parties—including Amazon, Google, Facebook, and others—without clear user consent.

• Network-level studies have shown smart TVs constantly ping ad-tech servers, even when not in active use.

🔧 What You Can Do to Protect Yourself

The good news: most smart TVs allow you to disable some or all of this tracking. But the bad news? The settings are often buried deep, labeled vaguely, or spread across multiple menus.

🛑 Step 1: Turn off ACR

Go into your TV's settings and look for options like:

• “Viewing Information Services” (LG)

• “Viewing Data” (Vizio)

• “Internet-based Advertising” (Samsung)

• “ACR” or “Smart Interactivity”

Disable these features to stop your TV from watching what you watch.

🎙 Step 2: Disable the mic and camera

If your TV has voice features, turn off the microphone unless you're actively using it. Some TVs also include cameras—disable or cover them.

🧹 Step 3: Opt out of personalized ads

Look for ad personalization settings and toggle them off. This won’t stop all data collection, but it can reduce targeting.

🛡 Step 4: Block tracking at the network level

Advanced users can use tools like Pi-hole, NextDNS, or router-based ad-blockers to prevent your TV from phoning home.

Be warned, though: this may break some services or violate the device's terms of use.

🧭 TL;DR

• Most smart TVs use ACR to track what you watch—even on external devices.

• They collect app usage, viewing habits, and network data to share with third-party advertisers.

• You can limit this by turning off ACR, mic/cam access, and ad tracking in your settings.

• Want stronger protection? Use network-level blocking or consider a non-smart TV + streaming box combo.

Bottom line:
Smart TVs aren’t just watching your shows—they may be watching you. It only takes a few minutes to check your settings and reclaim your privacy.

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👉 https://newsletter.thecybersafety.company

Have a topic you'd like us to cover?
📬 Email me directly at [email protected]

Until next time — stay private, stay safe.

— Peter Oram
Chief Cyber Safety Officer