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Gamers Nexus published a video running just over two hours about privacy on LG TVs and it quickly made waves. The film racked up millions of views, and its creators showed how much information a modern Smart TV can process. And it’s not just about what we watch. The video follows three main threads: scanning the home network, an ACR system analysing viewed content, and the microphone working even when the TV appears to be turned off. LG has already responded to the allegations, but it confirmed some points, explained others in its own way, and simply disagrees with some of them.
The TV peers into the home network
One of the more interesting parts of the video is what the TV does after connecting to Wi-Fi. The YouTuber demonstrated that LG can scan the local network and detect other devices on it. Smartphones, tablets, printers and other kit can therefore be noticed by the TV. LG does not deny that such a feature exists. The manufacturer says it’s needed, among other things, to detect devices, share content and enable smart home functions. And indeed, network scanning itself isn’t unusual. It only gets interesting when you combine it with the other data the TV can collect.
ACR, or Automatic Content Recognition: the TV knows what you watch
Gamers Nexus devotes a lot of attention to ACR, or Automatic Content Recognition. In practice it’s a system that recognises the content being displayed. Importantly, it doesn’t have to be material played directly from an app on the TV. ACR can also work when the signal comes into the TV over HDMI. It’s thanks to solutions like this that a manufacturer can know not only which apps we use, but also what content appears on the screen. The data can later be used for recommendations or ad personalisation. An important caveat should be added here. ACR isn’t an LG invention and it’s not something used only by that manufacturer. FlatpanelsHD and even RTINGS note that similar solutions have been operating for years in TVs from other brands. LG additionally emphasises that using ACR for advertising requires the user’s consent.
Most interesting part of the video? Microphone in standby mode
What caused the most reaction, however, was the section about voice control. Gamers Nexus showed situations in which the TV could capture and transcribe speech even when the screen was already turned off. The researchers also pointed out that some information may be stored locally and later uploaded once the TV reconnects to the internet. That part of the video was the clip that later got the most traction in industry media.
LG responded that the TVs do not simply record conversations in the background. According to the manufacturer, voice processing only starts after pressing the microphone button or after recognising the command "Hi LG" if the user has previously enabled the Far-Field Voice Recognition feature. The manufacturer also admitted that in standby mode the TV can listen for a wake command. LG insists recognition happens locally, and audio that does not contain a command is not sent to the company's servers.
LG responded, but didn't close the matter
After the video was published the company issued an official statement. It confirmed, among other things, scanning of devices on the network, the operation of ACR and the possibility of listening for a voice command in standby mode. At the same time it rejected the suggestion that TVs continuously record conversations in the room without the user's knowledge. However, not all questions raised in the video received an equally thorough answer. Gamers Nexus also raised the issue of how transcriptions are stored and how data is handled when the TV has no internet access. And that's exactly why the whole matter doesn't just end with a simple "LG denies it".
What's most interesting about the whole Gamers Nexus piece is probably not that the TV collects data, because ACR and advertising on Smart TVs have been known about for years. Much more striking is the scale of how much a modern TV can actually know about its user. The visible home network, the devices within it, the content being watched, the data used for advertising and voice control. When you add it all up, a Smart TV starts to resemble more of a computer than a simple screen. And that's precisely why the Gamers Nexus piece resonated so widely. It doesn't uncover one magical "spying" function, but it very clearly shows how many systems run behind a TV today and how rarely the average user even looks into privacy settings.
Sources: Gamers Nexus, RTINGS, FlatpanelsHD, HDTVTest, Tom's Hardware.
