Most popular TV models utilize automatic content recognition (ACR), a form of ad surveillance that gathers information about everything viewers watch and transmits it to a centralized database. Manufacturers use the data to identify viewing preferences and deliver highly targeted ads. Advertisers spent an estimated $18.6 billion on smart TV ads in 2022, and spending is rising. ACR works like a constant Shazam-like service that captures continuous screenshots and cross-references them with a media database. ACR can capture up to 7,200 images per hour, linking viewing habits to personal data such as email addresses, IP addresses, and physical addresses, which raises risks of exploitation.
To understand how ACR works, imagine a constant, real-time Shazam-like service running in the background while your TV is on. It identifies content displayed on your screen, including programs from cable TV boxes, streaming services, or gaming consoles. ACR does this by capturing continuous screenshots and cross-referencing them with a vast database of media content and advertisements. According to , ACR can capture and identify up to 7,200 images per hour, or approximately two images every second.
This extensive tracking offers money-making insights for marketers and content distributors because it can reveal connections between viewers' personal information and their preferred content. By "personal information," I mean email addresses, IP addresses -- and even your physical street address.
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