Redakcja Choose TV
Gamers Nexus published a more-than-two-hour video about privacy in LG TVs, and it quickly caused a big stir. The video has 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 piece follows three main threads: scanning of the home network, an ACR system analyzing viewed content, and the microphone operating even when the TV appears to be turned off. LG has already responded to the allegations, but it confirmed some things, explained others in its own way, and simply disagrees with some of the claims.
The TV peers into the home network
One of the more interesting parts of the video concerns what the TV does after it’s connected to Wi-Fi. The YouTuber showed that LG can scan the local network and detect other devices on it. Smartphones, tablets, printers, and other gear can therefore be noticed by the TV. LG does not deny that such a feature exists. The manufacturer says it is needed, among other things, for device discovery, content sharing, and smart home functions. And indeed, network scanning itself is not unusual. It only gets interesting when you put that together with the other data the TV may collect.
ACR, or how your TV knows what you watch
Gamers Nexus also devotes a lot of attention to ACR, or Automatic Content Recognition. In practice it's a system that recognizes the displayed content. Importantly, it doesn't have to be content played directly from an app on the TV. ACR can also work when the signal reaches the TV via HDMI. It's precisely thanks to solutions like this that a manufacturer can know not only which apps we use, but also what's on the screen. The data can later be used for recommendations or ad personalization. However, an important caveat: ACR is not LG's invention and it's not something used exclusively by that manufacturer. FlatpanelsHD and even RTINGS point out that similar systems have been used for years in TVs from other brands. LG also stresses that using ACR for advertising requires user consent.
The most interesting part of the video? The microphone in standby mode
The segment about voice control stirred the most emotions. Gamers Nexus showed situations in which a 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 transmitted after the TV reconnects to the internet. It was this part of the video that most strongly made the rounds in industry media.
LG responded that TVs do not just record background conversations. According to the manufacturer, voice processing starts only after the microphone button is pressed or after recognizing the command "Hi LG" if the user previously enabled Far-Field Voice Recognition. The manufacturer also admitted that in standby the TV may listen for a wake command. LG assures, however, that recognition occurs locally and audio that does not contain the command is not sent to the company's servers.
LG responded, but the issue is not closed
After the video was published the company issued an official statement. It confirmed, among other things, device scanning on the network, the operation of ACR, and the ability to listen 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 of the video's questions 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 does not end with a simple "LG denies it."
The most interesting thing about the whole Gamers Nexus piece is probably not that the TV collects data, since ACR and ads on Smart TVs have been known for years. What’s much more striking is the scale of how much a modern TV can actually know about its user. The home network it can see, the devices on it, the content you watch, the data used for advertising, and voice control. When you put all of that together, a Smart TV starts to feel more like a computer than a simple screen. And that’s exactly why the Gamers Nexus piece resonated so widely. It doesn’t uncover a single magical "spy" feature, but it clearly shows how many systems run behind the TV today and how rarely the average user even checks the privacy settings.
Sources: Gamers Nexus, RTINGS, FlatpanelsHD, HDTVTest, Tom's Hardware.
