Your LG TV Might Still Be Listening to You—Even When It Looks Like It’s Off
Gamers Nexus, with Level1Techs and security researchers, says LG smart TVs collect far more data than users are told. Tests found the TVs scanning home Wi‑Fi networks with UPnP, identifying connected devices, and using ACR to fingerprint screen and audio content even when used only as HDMI monitors. Researchers also recovered microphone audio from a dark-screen TV, found a hidden mic unaffected by the mute switch, and saw stored speech upload after reconnection. Voice input is converted to text and logged, and the mic can keep capturing for several seconds after speaking stops. The report also found unresolved remote-code-execution flaws and residential-proxy code in many webOS apps. LG’s ad business appears to link TV viewing with other household devices. Meanwhile, LG added a forced-arbitration clause after earlier privacy scrutiny, and Texas regulators had already required consent and opt-out for ACR data collection.
