The researchers have discovered that automatic content recognition (ACR) tracking is active most of the time, even when TVs are used as “dumb” HDMI devices. In other words, the TV manufacturers are monitoring your private moments as well. There’s apparently no monitoring of streaming content in the UK, but there is in the US.

The only good news is that these TVs can seemingly be configured to disable ACR, provided the owners know this activity is taking place and are able to find the right settings. (I recently looked at the configuration of our TVs again, and understanding the various settings was far from easy.)

    • seaQueue@lemmy.world
      101·
      2 months ago

      I’m just waiting for them to add a sideband channel to some LoRa network so they can exfiltrate data even when their devices are “offline”

      • dubyakay
        1·
        2 months ago

        I dunno. I was able to open my wife’s Sony Xperia to DIY battery swap, and then break (and fail to resolder) the antenna in the process. Can’t be that hard on a smart TV.

      • Suburbanl3g3nd@lemmings.world
        1·
        2 months ago

        I have been thinking more on this. Seems like a spare router with no Internet should suffice. Gives it a connection with no Internet so it can’t go anywhere and since it has a connection it shouldn’t be hunting for open networks