"According to a joint study by computer scientists at UC Davis, University College London (UCL), and UC3M, your television is likely capturing snapshots of your screen as often as four times per minute."
"The study, titled 'Watching TV with the Second-Party,' analyzed network traffic leaving major smart TV brands. The results were startlingly consistent: LG TVs dispatched data to ACR servers every 15 seconds."
"According to official annual results, LG's ad business generated nearly $700 million in 2024 alone. Similarly, Vizio reported that its data and advertising revenue officially surpassed its hardware profit in 2023."
"The average user is unlikely to know what ACR is or that they can opt out, says Dr. Anna Maria Mandalari from UCL. The 'opt-in' is usually a single click during the initial setup - often buried in a wall of legal text."
Smart TVs are capturing screen snapshots up to four times per minute using Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). A study revealed LG TVs send data every 15 seconds, while Samsung TVs do so every 60 seconds. ACR operates regardless of the content source, including external devices. TV manufacturers have shifted focus from hardware to data brokerage, with LG's ad business generating $700 million in 2024. Many users are unaware of ACR and the opt-out options, often hidden in lengthy legal agreements.
Read at Miami Herald
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