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LG has found itself at the center of a serious controversy over the privacy of Smart TV users. Portuguese consumer organization Citizens Voice has filed a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer, alleging that some TVs can record household conversations without the occupants' knowledge. The organization is demanding that certain models be withdrawn from sale and that devices already sold be repaired free of charge. LG strongly denies the allegations.
TVs allegedly recorded audio even without internet
The case began with an investigation by Gamers Nexus in collaboration with security experts. According to the researchers, some LG TVs could record ambient audio even with the screen turned off, store it locally without internet access, and then transmit it once a connection was restored.
Citizens Voice wants independent experts to verify whether the TVs can actually record conversations without voice control being consciously activated. The lawsuit also names the Portuguese retail chains FNAC and Worten, which sold LG devices.
The manufacturer rejects the allegations. According to LG, voice-recognition functions only activate after the appropriate command is spoken or the button on the remote is pressed. The company says that without voice control being activated, conversations are neither recorded nor transmitted to servers.
Samsung, Roku and Vizio also under scrutiny
The controversy isn't limited to LG. Researchers at Northeastern University tested 12 TVs to examine ACR technology, which recognizes viewed content and can be used, among other things, to personalize ads.
In the case of Samsung, Roku and Vizio systems, network traffic resembling ACR data transmission was detected even after the user disabled tracking. However, the researchers note that because of encryption they could not definitively determine the content of the transmitted information.
Interestingly, the tested LG TV running webOS correctly stopped ACR transmissions after that feature was turned off. So the study's results do not support allegations that LG was recording conversations.
The case in Portugal is still awaiting a decision. Its outcome could, however, have implications for future privacy rules for Smart TV users.
Sources: PRAD, HDTVTest, Northeastern University
