If you have an LG TV, you might have woken up on Tuesday to some concerning headlines: A thorough investigation by YouTube channel Gamers Nexus found that LG TVs are capable of collecting an enormous amount of data, all without active participation from nearby users. Gamers Nexus showed that LG TVs can identify nearby devices and store their information, including things like device names, location, and IP addresses. The investigation argues that this might be why LG advertises itself as having access to 363 million "secondary" devices, despite posting only 216 million smart TV sales worldwide.
Most pressing of all, Gamers Nexus showed that LG TVs have the ability to record audio and save transcripts, even when the TV isn't actively connected to the internet. You might think you're preventing the worst of the tracking by disconnecting your TV from the network, but it's possible your conversations are being recorded all the same. To be clear, Gamers Nexus isn't saying that LG is purposely recording the conversations of every household that owns one of its TVs; the YouTube channel's point is that LG's TVs are capable of some serious data collection, and that their approach to user privacy is abysmal. Gamers Nexus includes interviews with LG executives who brag about how, because they "own" the hardware and software, they are able to learn a lot about the people in the vicinity of their TVs, and use that data for advertising.
While Gamers Nexus' findings are troubling, many aren't unique to LG. Smart TVs in general are not designed with user privacy in mind; in fact, they're often made to collect data specifically for advertising purposes. While there isn't much we can do about latent audio recording capabilities, there is something you can do to block a significant amount of data collection, no matter what smart TV you happen to own: Turn off ACR.
How does your TV track what you watch?
ACR, short for automatic content recognition, allows your smart TV to watch what you watch, identify what you watch, and use that information to recommend new content and serve you more relevant ads. Your TV observes moments in a show or movie (sometimes including audio) and will send that information to a database to match it against a library of content.
ACR does this by literally taking screenshots of what is happening on your screen, roughly two per second. That enables tracking on everything, whether you use your smart TV apps, a Blu-ray player, a device like an Apple TV, or a PlayStation—whatever you display on your TV, ACR can watch and report.
Most major TV manufacturers put ACR tracking in their devices. After Vizio got into hot water years ago for not properly disclosing how much data they were stealing from customers, TV manufacturers started baking these settings into initial setup agreements. If you’re like me, you accidentally agreed to this tracking without realizing it, because you were too focused on getting your TV set up to care about, you know, reading a legal document.
If you have a smart TV, it likely has ACR tracking you can disable. However, all TV manufacturers call this option something different. I'll run through some of the top brands, what they each call their ACR settings, and where to find them. Even still, these brands change their settings menus and settings names all the time, so even if you have a TV from a company listed here, you might not find my instructions relevant.
Your best bet, if these instructions don't help, is to Google your specific TV model and where to find its ACR settings. You should be able to find a guide from the manufacturer or a walkthrough from someone with access to your TV who knows where to find the setting. But if you have an LG, Samsung, Sony, Hisense, or TCL, follow along below:
How to disable ACR on your smart TV
LG TVs
If you have an LG smart TV (like me), then your ACR settings are going to be under Live Plus. The setting sounds innocent enough, but it’s likely meant to so that you keep it enabled. You’ll find this option in Settings > General > System > Additional (or Advanced) Settings > Live Plus. While you’re here, you might as well enable “Limit Ad Tracking” under Advertisement.
Samsung TVs
Let’s take a look at another popular TV brand, Samsung. On newer models, head to Settings > All Settings > General & Privacy > Terms & Privacy. Then, turn off Viewing Information Services and Interest-Based Advertising. On older models, you’ll find your ACR options in the sidebar menu under Privacy Choices > Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy. Just make sure to disable “Viewing Information Services."
Sony TVs
Sony keeps their ACR options under Settings > Initial Setup > Samba Interactive TV. From here, disable Samba Interactive TV. In addition, you might find ad tracking features under About > Ads > Ads Personalization.
Hisense TVs
Hisense keeps its ACR under Settings > System > Privacy. Its name will depend on your particular model, but it might be called "Smart TV Experience" or "Viewing Information Services." TCL keeps its settings under Settings > Privacy > Smart TV Experience. Here, disable "Use Info from TV Inputs."
Amazon Fire TV
Amazon TVs don't seem to hide ACR settings that much. On these TVs, you'll find these options under Preferences > Privacy Settings. Here, turn off Automatic Content Recognition.
