Report: LG Smart TVs Track Household Members, Log Audio While 'Off'

The investigation, detailed in a 135-minute video by Gamers Nexus, says the tracking occurs even when the TVs appear to be off or unplugged from the local network. The researchers estimate that 216 million LG TVs are reporting on millions of other devices in the United States alone.

The report comes just over a month after LG was accused of installing adware on PCs and recording guests in homes, claims LG refuted in a statement. TechRadar said it has contacted LG for comment on the new findings.

According to the report, LG's own sales pitch to businesses says: "We know who's in the LG household. We know which devices are there. We know what you're exposed to on TV and we know how to extend that reach into mobile." The Gamers Nexus video also includes clips of three separate LG executives saying either "We own the glass", "we own the TV", or both.

The phrase "we own the glass" is directed at advertisers, the report says, and is based on Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), a controversial system that analyzes what a person watches across apps and services and compiles that data for personalized marketing. Gamers Nexus says LG TVs gather much more than viewing data, including voice recordings, details of other local devices, geographic location and information about nearby wireless networks.

LG's sales pitch, as cited in the report, says its advertising can extend to phones and other devices in the same household: "Within an LG household, we can help extend [an advertising] campaign footprint to the other devices in the household."

The investigation describes the data collection as "intrusive and grotesque". It also says other television manufacturers are likely doing similar things. "If you want Flock cameras on your living room wall, this is how you get Flock cameras on your living room wall," the researchers said.

Users have reacted with anger online. On Reddit, one commenter using the name grahag wrote, "Every appliance in my house is an LG... I will never buy an LG product again." Another, BirnirG, said, "I hope nobody will buy their products after this... if I buy your product I own it, they don't 'own the glass' or anything any more." A third commenter described the behavior with the words, "It's extremely creepy."

The investigation arrives amid thin TV profit margins and a growing push by manufacturers toward advertising revenue. Critics say consumers are often not giving meaningful consent, and that changes to data use are buried in updated terms and policies that few people read.