From The Verge · Terrence O'Brien · · 1m 10s
LG says your TV isn't listening in
LG is pushing back on TV spying claims, but the denial hinges on one slippery word.
In brief
LG is pushing back on TV spying claims, but the denial hinges on one slippery word. LG denied continuous recording, not recording, and left the biggest privacy questions unanswered. Originally reported by The Verge.
Researchers found the logs
Gamers Nexus, Level1Techs, and independent security researchers showed LG TVs logging and uploading data about the people watching them.
LG blames the coverage
Rather than dispute the logs directly, LG framed the reporting as a misunderstanding of how its smart TVs actually work.
“Some recent media coverage may have contributed to misconceptions about how LG smart TVs work.”
One word does the work
LG says its TVs do not continuously record or transmit conversations, and that wake-word detection stays on the device. Continuously is carrying the whole denial.
“TVs do not continuously record or transmit users' conversations”
The demo undercuts it
Gamers Nexus showed an LG set keeping detailed logs of ambient conversation long after you would expect the AI assistant to have stopped listening.
Optional, but opaque
LG says content recognition, voice recognition, and interest-based ads are off by default. It also says fingerprinting captures no recordings or screenshots.
“ACR uses audio fingerprinting technology using the TV's internal audio processor”
What LG skipped
No answer on how much data it collects, who receives it, how attackers might abuse these features, or why the privacy settings are presented so confusingly.
The essence
LG denied continuous recording, not recording, and left the biggest privacy questions unanswered.
