Redakcja Choose TV
Gamers Nexus published an over-two-hour feature on privacy in LG TVs and it quickly attracted a lot of attention. The video has garnered 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 piece runs through three main strands: scanning the home network, an ACR system analysing viewed content, and the microphone operating even when the TV appears to be switched off. LG has already responded to the allegations, but it confirmed some things, explained others in its own way, and disagrees with some points.
The TV peers into the home network
One of the more interesting parts of the film concerns what the TV does once connected to Wi-Fi. The YouTuber demonstrated that LG can scan the local network and detect other devices on it. Smartphones, tablets, printers and other equipment can therefore be noticed by the TV. LG does not deny that such a feature exists. The manufacturer explains that it is needed, among other things, for device discovery, content sharing and Smart Home functions. And indeed, the mere scanning of the network is not unusual. It only becomes interesting when we combine that with the other data the TV may collect.
ACR, or your TV knows what you're watching
Gamers Nexus also devotes considerable coverage to ACR, i.e. 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 image is fed to the TV via HDMI. It's precisely thanks to such solutions that the 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. That said, an important caveat applies. ACR is not LG's invention and it's not something exclusive to that manufacturer. FlatpanelsHD and even RTINGS remind us that similar solutions have been in place for years in TVs from other brands. LG also emphasises that using ACR for advertising requires the user's consent.
Most interesting part of the video? Microphone in standby mode
The most emotive segment, however, was the part devoted to 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 sent once the TV reconnects to the internet. It was this section of the video that most strongly made its way into the trade media afterwards.
LG replied 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 activated the Far-Field Voice Recognition function. The manufacturer also admitted that in standby mode the TV may listen for a wake command. However, LG assures that the recognition takes place locally, and any audio that does not contain the command is not sent to the company's servers.
LG responded, but did not put the matter to rest
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 the TVs constantly record conversations in the room without the user's knowledge. However, not all questions from the video received equally detailed answers. Gamers Nexus also raised the issue of how transcripts are stored and how data is handled when the TV does not have internet access. And that's precisely why the whole matter doesn't end with a simple "LG denies it".
The most interesting thing in the entire Gamers Nexus piece is probably not the fact that the TV collects data, because ACR and ads on Smart TVs have been known about for years. What is far more striking is the scale of how much a modern TV can actually know about its user. The visible home network, the devices on it, the content being watched, data used for advertising, voice control. When you put all of this together, a Smart TV starts to resemble a computer rather than a mere screen. That is precisely why the Gamers Nexus piece caused such a stir. It does not reveal a single magical 'spying' feature, but it clearly shows how many systems are operating behind a TV today and how rarely the average user even checks their privacy settings.
Sources: Gamers Nexus, RTINGS, FlatpanelsHD, HDTVTest, Tom's Hardware.
